Apple is racing to make Siri more agentic

Siri will soon be able to perform multi-step actions within Apple apps and potentially third-party apps.

Apple is reportedly accelerating its efforts to enhance Siri's capabilities, driven by pressure from CEO John Ternus on AI chief Craig Federighi. The goal is to develop an AI agent that can rival offerings from OpenAI and Meta. While an initial functional version of Siri AI has been developed rapidly, Apple acknowledges it is behind competitors. Near-term upgrades, expected with iOS 11.3, will grant Siri finer control over native Apple applications, enabling actions like image editing in Photos and tab management in Safari. A more substantial update, anticipated in the spring, will introduce third-party app integration, allowing Siri to perform tasks such as ordering food or making reservations. Apple's long-term vision for Siri is to evolve into a more agentic assistant capable of managing ongoing tasks and pursuing objectives autonomously, akin to current AI agents.

Apple's push to make Siri more agentic signals a strategic imperative to regain parity in the rapidly advancing AI assistant market. By granting Siri greater control over native apps and planning for third-party integrations, Apple aims to move beyond simple command execution to proactive task management. This evolution is critical for retaining users within the Apple ecosystem, as current AI agents are demonstrating significant advantages in complex task completion and ongoing objective pursuit.

The success of this Siri overhaul hinges on its ability to integrate seamlessly with both Apple's proprietary software and the broader third-party application landscape. If Apple can successfully enable Siri to act as a true AI agent, capable of sustained task execution and user goal alignment, it could re-establish Siri as a competitive offering. Failure to achieve this agentic capability could lead to continued user migration towards alternative AI assistants that offer more advanced functionality.