Apple weighs more proactive, agent-like Siri

Apple is considering changing Siri into a more proactive assistant that can track users’ goals, identify next steps and carry out tasks with less need for individual instructions, according to Mark Gurman. He reported that the company could move in that direction as early as 2027, but Apple has not confirmed the capabilities or timing.

The proposed approach would go beyond responding to commands or handling several actions in a single request. Siri might follow an ongoing objective, monitor information and act when needed, rather than waiting for a user to initiate each step. The reports do not establish which functions Apple would introduce or how much autonomy the assistant would have.

Gurman also reported that Apple changed the first development milestone for iOS 28. Instead of the usual four weeks of coding followed by four weeks of integration, the milestone is set to include six weeks of coding and exploration, then two weeks of integration. Apple employees reportedly responded positively to the longer period for exploring ideas.

In a separate account of Apple’s software plans, Gurman said chief executive John Ternus urged software engineering chief Craig Federighi in a...