Apple is planning a big AI comeback, but we’ve heard this song before

Macworld

Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman has a juicy new report today detailing Apple’s future plans for AI and robotics, which he pitches as a “turnaround” for the company. A comeback of sorts, for a company that has badly missed the boat and disappointed fans with its AI ambitions so far.

These future releases all sound great. There are robots, smart home products, and big Siri improvements… but we’ve heard this kind of promise before. From Apple Car to Vision Pro, to folding iPhones, we’ve heard rumors of Apple stuff coming “in a couple years” that either never materialize or fail to live up to expectations. Apple needs its AI-powered products and services to show up on time (the company is already behind competitors) and impress both fans and critics with their capabilities.

Here’s what Gurman reports is coming down the pike.

LLM Siri

The foundation of most of Apple’s upcoming projects is a completely new Siri. Built on a large language model like most of the generative AI customers are familiar with today (like ChatGPT), this version of Siri is code-named Linwood, but Apple employees allegedly just call it “LLM Siri.”

This version of Siri would use personal context to fulfill requests, understand what’s on your screen, and take actions within apps. It was meant to debut earlier this year as part of iOS 18, using a hybrid model–the LLM for some things and the standard keywords-based Siri for others. That was untenable, and so the new Siri has been delayed for about a year to get all of Siri unified under this new LLM model.

Linwood uses an LLM developed by Apple, but there’s a parallel project code-named Glenwood that would use models developed outside Apple. Gurman says no decision has yet been made on what model would be used, but is testing with Anthropic’s Claude.

Apple is also preparing a new visual design for Siri on iPhones and iPads.

Gurman says that Apple employees working on a future robotics project have used ChatGPT or Gemini to build and test features, and that Apple employees are increasingly using AI tools made by other companies.

Robots

A new Siri is a fundamental part of future projects, but Apple likes to sell new physical products, not just make new software for its existing hardware.

The most important one is probably a new tabletop robot, with a screen like an iPad on a motorized, movable limb that can turn, tilt, and reposition itself. If you saw that research project for a robot lamp we wrote about earlier this year, that’s what we’re talking about–only there will be a screen instead of a lamp head.

Giving this robot a personality will be a major selling point, but FaceTime calls (with your iPhone as a “joystick” you can use to move the screen around) is also a priority.

This robot is supposed to be sort of a “person in the room,” even chiming in on conversations with helpful information. Siri is front-and-center on this device, with a project called “Bubbles” that will give it a visual representation with personality.

This tabletop robot is currently anticipated for release in 2027, but plans remain fluid.

There are several other robots in earlier stages of development, including one with wheels and one with a large mechanical arm that can be used in manufacturing or the back of retail stores.

A new smart home OS

The tabletop robot and another project–a standalone smart home display–both use a new operating system dubbed Charismatic. They may both feature the new “Siri with a face” and personality, too.

But the smart home display is simpler, and could launch as soon as next year. Think of it like the robot without the mechanical arm and with a less conversational Siri. It’s meant to handle smart home control, music playback, note-taking, web browsing, and, of course, FaceTime.

The new Charismatic OS will center on things like clock faces and widgets, and can scan faces as people approach so it can show that person’s preferred layout and information. There will be lots of Apple’s standard apps, but the interface will be controlled mostly through widgets and voice.

The smart home display is supposed to be a 7-inch square with thin black or white bezels and rounded corners. It sits on a half-dome base that holds some electronics, speakers, and microphones. You’ll be able to mount it on a wall, too.

Other smart home products

An AI-powered camera (code-named J450) is next in Apple’s salvo of AI-powered smart home products.

Gurman says it will be battery-powered and run for several months to a year on a single charge, similar to many rival home cameras today. It will use facial recognition and infrared sensors to determine who is in a room.

In addition to the obvious home security implications, these are meant to assist with home automation. Turning off lights when everyone leaves a room, or playing the music a particular person likes when in the room they’re in, for example.

This camera is meant to be just the first of an entire line of smart home products to compete with the likes of Ring and Nest. Apple has tested a smart doorbell with facial recognition to unlock the door, Gurman says.

Apple’s AI and smart home future

Obviously, Apple has to right the ship when it comes to AI. Siri practically popularized the idea of an AI assistant, but now it is seen as lagging far behind the state of the art.

But Apple’s push to build AI with personality and build it into smart home products marks an entirely new area for the company. It sounds exciting, but we should remind readers of all the articles we’ve seen about Apple’s smart car that never materialized (despite a big team working on it for years), or how the company hyped the spatial computing era as the future, only to deliver one very expensive and only somewhat useful pair of mixed reality goggles.

Apple plans always sound great on the rumor mill, and the best stuff is always just two years away. What arrives on our desks and in our pockets is often something else.