WWDC 2026: Apple's AI and user expectations

This is Apple's most important software event of the year. It is expected that the company will introduce new operating system versions and notable upgrades related to artificial intelligence (AI).

AI development is slower than competitors

However, unlike previous years, the focus of this year's Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) is not just new features but also the question of whether Apple can close the gap with rivals in the AI ​​race.

The focus of this event is the plan to comprehensively upgrade Siri - the virtual assistant that was once considered one of Apple's pioneering products but is gradually losing its position in the era of generative AI.

Launched in 2011, Siri is now available on the majority of the 2.5 billion active Apple devices globally. However, the advantage of being ahead of many years does not help this product maintain its leading position as new AI chatbots continuously expand their language processing, inference and task automation capabilities.

Meanwhile, hundreds of millions of users globally are familiar with tools like ChatGPT, Claude or Gemini. In many major markets, users increasingly expect AI assistants to be able to handle schedules, synthesize information and perform complex tasks with a higher level of automation.

Although considered slow in the generative AI race, Apple still possesses an advantage that not many competitors have: a huge personal data store located directly on users' devices.

From emails, messages, appointments to internal application systems, this data source can help Siri understand personal context and provide more appropriate responses.

However, that advantage also comes with big challenges. Over the years, Apple has yet to demonstrate the ability to turn the above data source into an AI experience that makes a clear difference compared to its competitors.

In addition, the privacy protection strategy that is Apple's strong point also becomes a significant technical barrier. The iOS operating system is designed so that third-party applications cannot arbitrarily access each other's data, and Apple itself has limited access without the user's permission.

The company's mission is to find a way to effectively exploit this data source while still maintaining the security standards that are considered the foundation of the Apple ecosystem.

Patrick Moorhead, founder of technology consulting firm Moor Insights & Strategy, commented: "Apple is required to improve Siri's performance, and build a framework for developers to optimize artificial intelligence. The essence of AI lies in data, because it is the core element that creates context and improves response quality."

According to technology experts, WWDC 2026 could mark Apple's biggest effort to narrow the gap with AI competitors. However, what the technology world is waiting for is no longer promises about the future but features that can soon be deployed on actual products.

Last year, Apple Intelligence created a lot of expectations at WWDC, but some important features were later delayed or released later than expected. This makes this year's WWDC a notable test of its AI strategy.

According to predictions, Apple will focus on introducing a natural conversation mode for Siri with a "personal context" option, allowing users to share protected data with the virtual assistant to improve response quality.

The new ecosystem can also allow developers to integrate apps with Siri through extensions, while also having the flexibility to choose AI models such as OpenAI, Anthropic or Gemini to operate some features.

In addition, Apple is expected to continue to emphasize the ability to process AI directly on the device through self-developed chip lines, instead of depending entirely on cloud computing infrastructure.

In the financial markets, Apple's cautious approach has so far not undermined investor confidence. However, the increase in stock price does not mean that the company has resolved doubts about its AI capabilities.

While many technology companies are pursuing the trend of AI agents - systems capable of performing many tasks on their own for users, Apple is expected to maintain a more cautious approach.

Potential security risks

Ben Bajarin, CEO of Creative Strategies, said that deep automation technologies still pose many security and control risks.

"It's too early for consumers to accept this risk. Even large businesses are not ready to deploy a technology that is not strictly controlled," Mr. Bajarin said.

Observers believe that Apple will likely continue to position AI as a layer of technology that supports user experience instead of displaying demonstration capabilities.

However, in the context of the AI ​​market gradually moving from a phase of excitement to demanding practical efficiency, users are no longer only interested in the promises of the future.

WWDC 2026 can therefore become an important milestone for Apple to prove its capabilities in the AI ​​race.