Apple is working on a smarter version of Siri that employees have taken to calling "LLM Siri," reports Bloomberg. Apple is designing the more capable Siri to better compete with chatbots like ChatGPT, with plans to utilize "advanced large language models."
A chatbot version of Siri would be able to hold ongoing conversations, much like ChatGPT. Apple wants customers to be able to better converse with the personal assistant, with Siri responding more like a human. The use of large language models will also allow Siri to perform much more complex tasks, which Apple has to rely on OpenAI's ChatGPT for in iOS 18.2.
Apple is working on improving what Siri can do in and between apps with Apple Intelligence in iOS 18, and that will lay some of the groundwork for the updated version of Siri. For that functionality, Apple will use a first-generation Apple LLM to evaluate requests to determine whether the existing Siri infrastructure should be used, or if a second LLM that's able to handle more complex requests should be queried.
Apple is testing the new Siri in a separate app on iPhones, iPads, and Macs, but it will eventually replace the current version of Siri. The Siri update could be announced as soon as 2025, likely as part of the June Worldwide Developers Conference that will see Apple unveil iOS 19.
While Siri will be previewed early, Apple does not intend to launch the update until several months after it is unveiled. As of now, Apple is aiming for a spring 2026 launch date, but Apple's plans could change.
