Apple has confirmed this year’s Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) will take place June 8-12. The show begins with a keynote speech likely to be Tim Cook’s final public appearance as Apple’s CEO. His successor, John Ternus, will also be in the spotlight, but perhaps not quite as much as Apple’s promised smart Siri successor.

Getting AI right is incredibly important to the company this year, and Apple seems to recognize that. The official media invitation features a brightly glowing Swift logo with the tagline “Coming Bright Up,” which some see as a hint at the advanced AI capabilities Apple intends making available. It also hints at the new Siri user interface Apple is building, while the use of a Swift suggests the introduction of additional Foundation Models with which developers can add AI tools to their products.

On the developer website, Apple’s media images all show that bright glow, which also hints at potential improvements to Liquid Glass. There’s no doubt at all that the entire industry will be tuned into WWDC to find out where Apple is going with AI. So, no pressure there, right?

AI tools developers can use

The company told developers to expect more than 100 new videos about tools, technologies, and design, many of them to be revealed during the Platforms State of the Union address, which follows the keynote.

“WWDC26 will kick off June 8 with the Keynote and Platforms State of the Union, introducing incredible updates for Apple platforms, including AI advancements and exciting new software and developer tools,” Apple said, announcing the event.

Apple knows the world is watching and seems unlikely to want to disappoint its audience again, though the way it framed this in suggests some of the improvements will be for developers, with end users to benefit later. This is the approach Apple has taken with Foundation Models so far, though it isn’t yet clear if the company intends introducing a paid tier of APIs for developers. I’d consider that a risk at this stage, given the perception Apple faces.

What’s at stake?

A confluence of challenges means Apple is perceived as having fallen behind on AI. That’s got to hurt. The company is under a lot of pressure to push back against that viewpoint, and while that’s a challenge, it’s also a big opportunity. 

Wedbush Securities analyst Dan Ives says Apple is a “sleeping tech giant” poised for growth if it gets the mix right, predicting the company’s ecosystem could become the “consumer hub” of AI, to the extent that 20% of the global population will use Apple to access it. At Morgan Stanley, analyst Erik Woodring thinks what Apple is about to introduce will prompt a mass upgrade and sees revenue potential in AI services for the company. In general, people seem to agree that Apple’s ecosystem is more than capable of handling the demands of AI; the challenge is properly integrating it within Apple’s environment.

What is Apple Planning?

At the moment, strong speculation suggests Apple has added new Writing Tools, improved image generation on its devices, and has worked with Google Gemini to extend the number of available APIs developers can use, as well as enhancing contextual understanding by Siri.

Any one of these things would have impressed us all at one time, but in an AI world of Claude, Gemini, or even Grok, some will likely see even these enhancements as weak sauce. Additional key expectations include:

• Siri will become a chatbot-style assistant in the form of an LLM-enhanced app, built in partnership with Google Gemini.
• Apple will give users a choice of AI apps, including the ability to make whatever they choose the default on their system.
• Siri will gain a new interface hosted in the Dynamic Island on devices that support it.
• Siri might also gain the ability to string instructions together using a combination of text/speech and Shortcuts abilities. 
• You should see improved contextual awareness; Siri will be able to “see’”what’s on your screen and take relevant actions across one or more third-party apps.
• Those functions are likely to be delivered by App Intents, which permits developers to make app functions available across the system without opening the apps.
• Visual Intelligence will let the iPhone camera app identify more options, including objects and passes, such as for events and public transit.
• Multitasking on iPads should improve, while macOS might gain some touch-based interface improvements. That could set the scene for better integration between iPad and Mac, and, of course, make a touchscreen Mac possible.

Most recently, there’s been chatter about Apple introducing an iMac equipped with an M5 processor. If so, this could emerge at, or slightly before, WWDC.

As it does each year, the conference will feature the Apple Design Awards, Swift Student Challenge, Labs, and an in-person, 1,000 people gathering in Cupertino for the keynote. 

Watch it in real time

The keynote will be available to stream on Apple’s website. It will also be hosted on the Apple TV app and Apple’s YouTube channel, with playback on-demand after the event.

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