- Apple’s Siri assistant will receive a major update this summer
- Apple has introduced artificial intelligence features for its Voice Control accessibility tool
- This could hint that agent powers are coming to Siri in iOS 27
Apple is expected to relaunch Siri at its Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) on June 8, powering the virtual assistant with long-awaited artificial intelligence (AI). We don’t know exactly how all those new features will work yet, but Apple may have given us a fascinating demo that hints at possible agent capabilities for Apple devices.
That clue emerged as part of Apple’s recent roundup of new accessibility features powered by Apple Intelligence. Apple described the announcement as a “preview,” suggesting the features could arrive as part of iOS 27 later this year.
While Apple revealed many upcoming features, one caught more attention than the others. It’s called Voice Control and, as the name suggests, it allows you to operate your Apple device simply by speaking to it. This feature itself is not new and previously you had to be quite specific, remembering the exact name or location of the on-screen element you wanted to control.
But since Apple Intelligence will soon be part of the equation, everything will change. As Apple explained, voice control will be powered by natural language, making it “more intuitive than ever.” The iOS 27 update will allow for more flexibility in how you use voice control: saying things like “tap the best restaurants guide” or “tap the purple folder” will work where they wouldn’t before. And that could have a huge impact on Siri.
The original promise of Apple Intelligence
Right now, Siri feels pretty limited in what it can do, especially when you compare it to some of the best AI agents that can perform tasks on your behalf. But if Apple’s accessibility preview is anything to go by, that could soon change.
Imagine being able to tell Siri exactly what you want without having to worry about using the exact terms and phrases it understands, and then watching Siri go out and complete those jobs for you. It’s the original promise of Apple Intelligence when it was introduced in 2024, when Apple told us that Siri will be able to know your personal context, work with apps, and understand what’s on your screen. None of those capabilities are here yet, but as the Voice Control update implies, they could be right around the corner.
We’ll know for sure when WWDC begins on June 8, but I have a good feeling about what’s to come. If Apple’s accessibility news is anything to go by, we may finally get the AI-powered Siri we were promised almost two years ago.
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