Apple is planning a major overhaul of its Siri assistant in an attempt to compete with leading AI chatbots like ChatGPT, according to a report.
The US tech giant has sought out the assistance of Google to launch the artificial intelligence-powered search tool, Bloomberg reported, with a launch date set for early next year.
The feature, referred to internally as World Knowledge Answers, will rely on large language models (LLMs) to deliver similar functionality to ChatGPT.
The revamp will support text, photos, videos and points of interest, with executives dubbing it an “answer engine”.
It is part of a long-promised upgrade to Siri, which Apple first launched as a voice assistant on the iPhone in 2011.
The company said during its WWDC 2025 conference in June that its AI-powered update to Siri would be delayed until 2026. Apple’s stock is up by around 5 per cent since Wednesday’s report detailing the new upgrade.
In August, Apple software chief Craig Federighi described the improvement of Siri as a top priority for the Cupertino company.
Speaking at an all-hands meeting last month, the executive revealed that Apple had been in talks with third parties to boost its AI offerings.
“This has put us in a position to not just deliver what we announced, but to deliver a much bigger upgrade than we envisioned,” he said. “There is no project people are taking more seriously.”
The Independent has reached out to Apple for further information, though the firm typically does not comment on unreleased products.
One potential platform for the new AI assistant could be a robot, which Apple is rumoured to be developing.
Siri would be embedded in the robot, which could come with its own face in order to anthropomorphise the bot. Device prototypes reportedly use an animated version of Apple’s Finder logo.
Apple is set to launch its latest iPhone 17 series and announce updates to its Apple Watch and AirPods lineups next Tuesday, in what CEO Tim Cook described it as an “awe dropping” event.
The devices are expected to come with new form factors, while a major redesign of its operating systems for iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, Apple TV and Car Play could also be announced.
A live stream of the Apple Event will take place at 10am local time (6pm BST) on 9 September, with full coverage available on The Independent.
