Apple’s new CEO reportedly wants Siri to do a lot more than answer questions. According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, John Ternus has been pressing Apple’s software chief to speed up the company’s AI plans. Siri could start acting more like an AI agent as early as next year.
For those unfamiliar, an AI agent is an assistant that keeps working toward a goal on its own. You don’t have to spell out every step. A rough example is asking Siri to find a restaurant and then booking the table yourself, versus an agent that does both. Gurman says in his Power On newsletter that Ternus raised the issue with Craig Federighi in a closed-door meeting in recent weeks.
He wants Apple to move quickly beyond just making necessary improvements to Siri. Gurman compares the idea to OpenAI’s Dots and Meta’s Muse. Both track goals and decide what to do next without a prompt for each step.
Where Siri Stands Today
Apple unveiled Siri AI at its June developer event, and it arrived with iOS 27 in September. It’s a big step up from the old Siri, but Ternus described it on Apple’s most recent earnings call as “primarily request-based today.” That means it’s a reactive AI, and a less proactive one. It mostly responds to what you ask. He also said Apple has much more planned. He called agent-style features promising, as long as security and privacy are protected.
Gurman adds that Apple has another gap to close. Agents from OpenAI and Anthropic can operate software themselves, clicking through buttons the way a person would. Apple doesn’t have a comparable skill yet. Closing that gap would likely be a big part of any agent-style Siri.
What Happens Next
Apple hasn’t announced an agent-style Siri or given a release date, and the company hasn’t commented on the report. The next-year timing is Gurman’s estimate, so it could change. Plans at this stage often shift before anything ships.
Ternus only took over as Apple CEO on September 1. That makes this one of the first clear signs of where he wants to steer the company. If the push pays off, the Siri on your iPhone next year could handle errands instead of just answering questions.
