AI & Automation 2 min read

New Siri Coming? Apple Struggles to Catch Up in the AI Race

Apple is racing to overhaul Siri with 'Apple Intelligence' in 2025. Can the tech giant catch up to ChatGPT and Gemini, or is it too little, too late?

Apple Siri Apple Intelligence iOS 18 AI Google
A glowing, futuristic Siri orb transforming into a neural network, symbolizing the new Apple Intelligence update.

The Gist

Apple is in a rare position: playing catch-up. After watching OpenAI and Google dominate the generative AI headlines, Cupertino is finally striking back. The weapon? A completely overhauled Siri, powered by “Apple Intelligence,” set to fully debut in Spring 2025 with iOS 18.4.

What’s Happening?

While iOS 18.1 brought us the first taste of Apple Intelligence (Writing Tools, Clean Up in Photos), the real Siri upgrade is still baking in the oven.

The “New” Siri (Coming Spring 2025)

The version of Siri we have now is just a teaser. The true next-gen Siri, expected with iOS 18.4, promises:

  • On-Screen Awareness: Siri will finally be able to “see” what’s on your screen and take action. (e.g., “Add this address to his contact card”).
  • Personal Context: It will search through your emails, messages, and photos to answer questions like, “When is my mom’s flight landing?”
  • App Control: Deep integration into apps to perform multi-step actions.

The Struggle is Real

Why the delay? Apple’s obsession with privacy and on-device processing makes this incredibly hard. Unlike ChatGPT, which sends everything to a massive server farm, Apple wants to do as much as possible on your iPhone’s Neural Engine. This is a noble goal for privacy, but it limits raw power.

To bridge the gap, Apple has partnered with OpenAI to integrate ChatGPT for the heavy lifting. Rumors also persist that Apple is in talks with Google to integrate Gemini as an alternative option, giving users a choice of “world brains” to augment Siri’s on-device smarts.

Why It Matters

For over a decade, Siri has been the butt of the joke. “I found this on the web” was the standard response to anything complex.

If Apple pulls this off, they have one advantage no one else has: Integration. ChatGPT is an app; Siri is the OS. If Siri can actually control your phone reliably, it becomes the ultimate agent, not just a chatbot.

What’s Next?

Look for the major Siri overhaul to land around April 2025 with iOS 18.4. Until then, we are in a transition period of “Siri-ish” features. The race is on, and for the first time in a long time, Apple isn’t leading the pack—they’re chasing it.