Can Apple Deliver a Smarter Siri in 2026?

Apple’s AI journey has been underwhelming. The company entered the space with Apple Intelligence at WWDC 2024, releasing features like Writing Tools, Image Playground, Clean Up and Genmoji. However, these were largely seen as novelties and lagged behind competitors. Partnerships with OpenAI and recalls, such as for AI Notification Summaries, did little to help and a revamped AI-powered Siri is still missing.

Despite a slow start in 2024 – 2025, reports suggest Apple could turn its AI fortunes around in 2026. With infrastructure like Private Cloud Compute, NPU-enabled devices and partnerships with OpenAI, Anthropic and possibly Google, the company is now positioned to scale AI across its products. The turning point is expected in spring 2026, with the launch of the much-anticipated Siri and a stronger focus on AI-driven features.