Apple’s new chief executive, John Ternus, is pushing software chief Craig Federighi to take a more ambitious approach to AI, with the aim of turning Siri into an agent that gets things done on its own, Mark Gurman reported in his Power On newsletter for Bloomberg on November 8, 2026. Gurman’s three posts about it on X passed 1 million views combined by Monday morning.
Apple has not announced an agent Siri. What it has shipped is Siri AI in iOS 27, which acts when you ask, and a beta of iOS 27.3 with deeper actions inside apps. Below: what Gurman reported, what Ternus says in public, and the road map as it stands.
On this page · 8 sectionsOpen
Apple CEO John Ternus pressed software chief Craig Federighi to move faster on AI and turn Siri into an agent, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman reported on November 8, 2026.
Siri AI in iOS 27 is request-based: it acts when you ask, then waits for the next request.
Gurman expects in-app actions in Apple’s own apps in December with iOS 27.3, third-party apps next spring, and a more agent-like Siri as early as 2027.
He contrasts Siri with ChatGPT’s Dots, Meta’s Muse and Grok, which can hold an ongoing responsibility and keep working between conversations.
Apple is also cutting engineers’ daily AI token caps from $300 to $200, per Gurman.
§ 01What Gurman reported
- A push from the top. In recent weeks Ternus held a closed-door meeting with Federighi and pressed him to move the road map beyond fixing Siri, frustrated by what he sees as a reluctance to embrace AI with the same urgency as rivals.
- An agent Siri, maybe in 2027. Gurman writes that Apple “could make Siri more like an agent as early as next year”.
- A leadership question. Mike Rockwell, who led Siri AI’s development, “continues to seriously consider stepping down”, per Gurman. Amar Subramanya and Sebastien Marineau would likely pick up more of the work.
- Tighter AI budgets. Apple is cutting AI token budgets for its own engineers: “Many engineers are seeing their daily caps fall from $300 to $200”.
§ 02What Ternus says in public
On his first earnings call as CEO, Ternus said Apple now has “the kind of Siri that we always wanted” and called it a “new chapter in AI”. On agents he sounded careful:
“It’s primarily request-based today, but as we talked about at WWDC, it’s built on a modern orchestrator-driven architecture that gives us real room to expand its capabilities over time.”
He added that Apple wants users to know what they are giving an agent access to, and that any agent has to protect security and privacy.
§ 03The road map, as reported
| When | What | Status |
|---|---|---|
| iOS 27, September 2026 | Siri AI answers questions, writes messages, sets reminders and takes basic actions in apps, using on-screen and personal context | Shipped |
| iOS 27.3 beta, now | Precise actions in Apple’s own apps: organizing Safari tabs, sorting Files, unsending an iMessage, multistep Photos edits | In beta |
| December 2026 | Those actions reach everyone in the public iOS 27.3 | Gurman’s read |
| Spring 2027 | Actions inside third-party apps, labeled a preview, likely in iOS 27.5 or 27.6 | Gurman’s read |
| As early as 2027 | Siri closer to an agent | Reported, not announced |
For third-party apps, Gurman’s examples are an OpenTable plug-in that books an involved restaurant reservation and an Uber Eats order placed entirely through Siri. Siri AI’s models are built on technology Apple licenses from Google, he writes.
§ 04Request-based versus an agent
Gurman draws the line plainly. Siri in iOS 27.3 carries out more sophisticated actions when you give it a command. ChatGPT’s Dots, Meta’s Muse and Grok “can be handed an ongoing responsibility and continue working between conversations”.
| Siri AI in iOS 27.3 | Dots, Muse and Grok, per Gurman | |
|---|---|---|
| When it works | When you ask | Keeps going between conversations |
| Memory | Personal context on your devices | Projects and preferences over time |
| Watching for changes | No | Monitors connected sources |
| Operating apps on screen | No computer use yet | ChatGPT and Claude have Computer Use |
Siri does have some basic proactive features, such as telling you when it is time to leave for an event, which Gurman shows on Apple’s HomeView hub. For what shipped in September, see our Siri AI explainer.
§ 05The missing piece: computer use
Apple controls the Mac, iPhone and iPad, but it has no AI that operates them on your behalf, Gurman writes. The closest thing it has shown is a Passwords feature from WWDC 2026 that finds weak or compromised passwords, visits each website and changes them. It appeared in early iOS 27 betas, then disappeared; Apple’s site still says it is coming.
§ 06What this means if you build on AI
- Agents are the bar now. When Apple’s CEO reportedly presses for one, the question for every assistant is what it does between conversations, not how well it answers.
- App makers get a Siri door next spring. If third-party actions ship as Gurman expects, apps that expose clean actions can be used by voice without being opened.
- AI spend is a budget line, even at Apple. Cutting engineers’ daily token caps from $300 to $200 shows how fast model costs became an operating expense.
§ 07What we are watching
- iOS 27.3. Whether the in-app actions reach everyone in December, as Gurman expects.
- WWDC 2027. Whether Apple announces an agent Siri or computer use in June.
- Leadership. Whether Rockwell stays, and who inherits Siri if he does not.
§ 08Sources
- Mark Gurman, Bloomberg, Apple CEO Presses Software Chief to Pursue More Ambitious AI Strategy, November 8, 2026
- Mark Gurman on X, the Ternus and Federighi post, November 8, 2026
- Mark Gurman on X, the agentic Siri post, November 8, 2026
- Mark Gurman on X, the computer use post, November 8, 2026
- CellCog, What Is Siri AI?
Q1What can Siri AI do today?
Answer questions, write emails and messages, set reminders, pull information from the web and take basic actions inside apps, using on-screen and personal context.
Q2What is new in iOS 27.3?
Precise actions inside Apple’s own apps, such as organizing Safari tabs, sorting Files, unsending an iMessage and multistep Photos edits. It is in beta now.
Q3Will third-party apps work with Siri?
Gurman expects actions inside third-party apps next spring, labeled a preview, likely with iOS 27.5 or 27.6.
Q4Does Apple have computer use?
Not yet. Gurman notes that OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Anthropic’s Claude can operate software on screen, while Apple has no comparable tool.
Q5Who is leading Siri at Apple?
Craig Federighi oversees Apple’s AI work. Gurman reports Siri engineering lead Mike Rockwell is considering stepping down.