At the Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) 2026, Apple previewed the overhauled Apple Intelligence platform with a new architecture built on foundation models in collaboration with Google's Gemini AI model. Apple highlighted that with the new system, AI models will be able to run directly on Apple devices (such as iPhones, iPads, and Macs) as well as on Apple's cloud servers when more computing power is needed. The company believes this partnership gives Apple Intelligence a major upgrade, making it much better at understanding, reasoning, and performing complex tasks.

Also read: Apple introduced Siri AI with a dedicated app: All you need to know

Apple Intelligence: New architecture, upgraded capabilities, and more

Apple says that the new architecture is developed around "Apple Foundation Models" in support with Google. As mentioned, all the processing will be happening on the cloud, but Apple says it will continue to use its Private Cloud Compute system to protect user privacy. The company claims that the new foundation models are also multimodal, meaning they can work with different types of content, including text and images. Therefore, it will not only understand images but also generate them, alongside handling more advanced text-based tasks.

During the event, Apple revealed that the upgraded AI models will be able to create realistic images from text descriptions.
editing photos with new AI tools, answer questions about images, such as identifying objects, summarising what's happening in a picture, or finding specific details.

Also read: Tim Cook’s last WWDC: Apple launches macOS Golden Gate

Apple also said that some devices will be able to carry a powerful version of its AI model. These devices will be able to generate more natural-sounding speech, improve the accuracy of voice dictation, and better understand complex language and requests. However, it did not reveal which iPhones, iPads, or Macs will qualify for these enhanced capabilities. 

Apple has also introduced a new system orchestrator that serves as a central coordinator for all Apple Intelligence features. This knows which app you're using, understands what task you're currently working on, and decides which AI tools or models should be used to help you. For instance, if you're reading an email, editing a photo, or planning an event in Calendar, the orchestrator will be able to understand the context and provide more relevant suggestions.