— Apple is holding its hardware showcase on in California, but multiple reports and company signals indicate the long-promised, generative-AI rewrite of Siri will not be ready for that keynote and is expected to arrive later, likely in 2026.
Key takeaways
- Apple’s Sept. 9 event will focus on new devices, including the iPhone 17 line.
- Apple Intelligence features continue to roll out, but the full generative-AI Siri is not expected this week.
- iOS 26 (beta available since June 2025) brings several AI features that will ship with the new iPhone.
- Apple has used OpenAI and is reportedly in talks with Anthropic and Google to bolster Siri’s backend.
- 9to5Mac reports Apple plans support for OpenAI’s GPT-5 in Siri-related features.
- Industry coverage from The New York Times and Bloomberg has described internal challenges rebuilding Siri with generative models.
- Analysts and insiders now expect a major Siri overhaul no earlier than 2026, possibly around WWDC.
Verified facts
Apple announced its next special event will take place on , where new hardware—most notably the iPhone 17—is expected to headline. Apple’s typical cycle shows software previews at WWDC in June, with final builds and devices arriving in September; iOS 26 was introduced at WWDC 2025 and its beta has been available since June.
Several iOS 26 features confirmed by Apple are AI-enhanced: Visual Intelligence can answer questions about screenshots, and Messages, FaceTime and Phone will gain live translation capabilities. Background helpers such as AI-based reminder suggestions and order tracking inside Apple Wallet are also slated for iOS 26.
Multiple outlets, including The New York Times and Bloomberg, have reported that Apple has faced setbacks rebuilding Siri with large generative models, leaving it behind rivals on some AI capabilities. Reports also indicate Apple is augmenting its efforts by integrating third-party models and services where appropriate.
Separately, technology coverage indicates Apple already routes some Siri queries to ChatGPT when a user signs in to an OpenAI account, and reporting has linked Apple to ongoing conversations with OpenAI, Anthropic and Google about potential model partnerships.
Context & impact
Apple’s device-focused Sept. 9 showcase is expected to spotlight hardware design, performance improvements and the consumer-ready elements of iOS 26—features that are complete enough for shipping with new phones. The generative AI overhaul of Siri, by contrast, remains a larger engineering and safety project and therefore is being paced differently.
The absence of a major Siri reveal this fall would keep Apple behind competitors who showcased ambitious on-device and cloud-assisted AI features earlier in 2025. That gap matters commercially: conversational and generative AI has become a differentiator for assistant experiences across phones and ecosystems.
For developers and enterprise customers, delayed Siri improvements mean continued reliance on existing APIs and partner models for advanced queries. For consumers, incremental iOS 26 upgrades will still deliver tangible AI improvements without the full conversational redesign some expected.
Potential near-term effects
- Apple may emphasize device hardware and design changes at the Sept. 9 keynote rather than a large software-centered AI reveal.
- Partial integrations (OpenAI sign-in for ChatGPT routing, third-party model support) will likely expand rather than a single, in-house generative engine appearing immediately.
Apple confirmed plans to support Siri-related features using OpenAI’s GPT-5 model, according to reporting by 9to5Mac.
9to5Mac (reported)
Unconfirmed reports
- Exact launch timing for a fully revamped Siri (multiple outlets estimate 2026, not officially confirmed by Apple).
- Which external partner(s) beyond OpenAI—if any—will supply the primary model for a future Siri (Anthropic and Google have been named in reporting, but no single partnership is public).
- Whether Apple could still announce a surprise Siri preview at the Sept. 9 event (considered unlikely by multiple analysts).
Bottom line
Expect the Sept. 9 keynote to center on new hardware and the consumer-ready pieces of iOS 26 rather than a full generative-AI makeover of Siri. Apple is advancing its AI roadmap and partnering selectively, but the major conversational upgrade most observers hope for appears set for a later window, likely in 2026.