Cupertino (California), 1 November 2025: Apple Inc.’s CEO Tim Cook has revealed that the long-awaited overhaul of the virtual assistant Siri is now officially on track for a release in 2026, and that Apple is open to integrating external generative-AI models such as ChatGPT and Gemini. This signals a strategic shift for Apple’s AI thrust and a fresh bid to catch up with rivals in the rapid-evolving assistant-AI space.
Key Points
- Apple plans a major upgrade to Siri – parentsed under its broader “Apple Intelligence” programme – targeting a 2026 launch.
- The company is explicitly open to bringing ChatGPT, Gemini and possibly other third-party AI models into its ecosystem.
- Apple acknowledges past delays and reliability issues, and is repositioning to move faster in AI.
- The timing coincides with booming iPhone sales and increased pressure on Apple’s services and AI offering.
- The upgrade could reshape how Siri interacts, combining on-device processing, app integration, and cloud-based AI partnerships.
What happened
During Apple’s latest earnings call and an interview with CNBC, Tim Cook confirmed that Apple is “making good progress” on the upgraded Siri and expects to deliver the project in 2026. He emphasised that Apple’s “intention is to integrate with more people over time” when referring to third-party AI models, hinting that Apple’s own in-house AI will soon be supplemented or enhanced by external models.
While Apple had initially aimed for a 2025 launch of its next-gen Siri, the company delayed the rollout, citing reliability and architecture concerns.
Key facts/data
- Apple’s “Apple Intelligence” framework was introduced at WWDC 2024 as the AI backbone for Siri and other device features.
- Sources indicate Apple has been in conversations with Google (for Gemini) and other AI firms such as Anthropic about supplying models for Siri.
- Analysts report that Apple’s first-gen architecture for personalised Siri “didn’t converge” to the required reliability standards, delaying the launch.
- At the same time, iPhone sales are hitting record levels, supporting Apple’s ecosystem push toward more advanced services.
Statements or reactions
In the conversation with CNBC, Tim Cook stated: “Our intention is to integrate with more people over time,” indicating openness to external AI partnerships. Meanwhile, the engineering leadership at Apple has admitted internally that the previous deployment of Siri’s AI upgrades was not meeting the company’s standards, prompting a recalibration of plans.
Current status / What’s next
Apple is now working through 2025 to finalise the architecture, partnerships, and core features of the upgraded Siri. The target remains “some time in 2026”, rather than a specific date. Internally, Apple is reportedly testing systems which allow Siri to handle conversational context, perform cross-app actions and integrate large language models (LLMs) for expanded capabilities. For users and developers, this means Apple is likely to announce further details at next year’s developer conference (WWDC 2026) and begin phased roll-outs thereafter.
Context / Background
Apple has historically been more conservative in its AI announcements versus competitors such as Google LLC, Microsoft Corporation (via OpenAI) and Alexa from Amazon.com, Inc.. The company emphasises user-privacy and on-device processing, which has created higher hurdles for generative AI rollout at scale.
When Apple announced “Apple Intelligence” in 2024, it promised a major leap for Siri—context-aware conversations, more natural language understanding, actions within multiple apps—and yet failed to deliver in time. The delay to 2026 reflects that challenge.
By now, rivals like Google have embedded models such as Gemini into their assistants and services, and OpenAI’s ChatGPT has become widely integrated across platforms. With Apple now signalling openness to integrate ChatGPT and Gemini with Siri, the playing field is shifting.
The “why this matters” angle: Siri has long been the most visible Apple-AI touchpoint for consumers. An upgraded Siri embedded with cutting-edge models could dramatically enhance user experience on iPhones, iPads and Macs -in turn boosting Apple’s services ecosystem and maintaining competitiveness in the AI era.
