Apple Didn’t Try to Reinvent AI — It’s Just Going to Tuck Google Away in a Separate Icon and Call It Siri

According to insider Mark Gurman, Apple is preparing the biggest overhaul of its voice assistant in years. In iOS 27, which is expected to be previewed at WWDC 2026, Siri will no longer be just a voice interface — it’s evolving into a full-fledged app with support for third-party AI models.

According to sources close to the development, Apple is betting on deep AI integration. The main change is the addition of a dedicated Siri icon on the home screen. Inside the app, users will be able to have text-based conversations with the assistant, save chat history, pin important conversations, and search through past messages. The interface will include a mode for switching between voice and text input, along with the ability to upload documents and photos for analysis.

The updated assistant will be built on a hybrid architecture. Apple will use its own infrastructure to protect data, but Google Gemini will be what powers Siri under the hood. Gurman estimates that, in terms of functionality, the model will be on par with Gemini 3. Apple insists that using Google’s infrastructure (TPUs and cloud services) won’t compromise privacy standards, as data will be processed on hardware controlled by Apple.

The new Siri will have access to personal data and will be able to take action inside apps. The assistant will be capable of analyzing the content of open windows and screenshots, changing device settings, generating images, and helping with the basics of coding. Additionally, most of Apple’s standard apps will feature a new “Ask Siri” button, allowing users to instantly send selected content (text, links, media files) directly into their conversation with the chatbot.

Apple is working to catch up to its competitors in the generative AI space, where solutions from OpenAI and Google currently dominate. Instead of building a completely autonomous, ultra-complex model from scratch, the company has chosen a path of integrating proven third-party technology while preserving its own ecosystem. The official announcement of iOS 27 and a demo of the new Siri app are expected at the annual WWDC conference this summer.

Do you think Apple will be able to strike a balance between deeply integrating Google’s AI and maintaining its reputation for data privacy, or will users have to sacrifice privacy for functionality? Share your thoughts in the comments.