After Years of Saying No, Apple Turns Siri Into AI Chatbot ‘Campos’ With iOS 27

After years of resisting the chatbot wave, Apple is preparing for its biggest shift yet in artificial intelligence by transforming Siri into a full-fledged conversational AI. The revamped assistant, internally codenamed Campos, is expected to debut later this year with iOS 27, marking Apple’s formal entry into the chatbot-driven AI era dominated by rivals like OpenAI and Google.

The move represents a fundamental change in how users will interact with iPhones, iPads, and Macs. Rather than responding with short, rigid answers, the new Siri will be capable of holding natural conversations, understanding context across multiple queries, and executing complex, multi-step tasks — similar to popular AI chatbots available today.

What Is Campos and How It Changes Siri

Campos is designed to behave like a conversational AI instead of a traditional voice assistant. Users will continue to activate Siri using familiar commands such as saying “Siri” or pressing the side button, but the experience afterward will be dramatically different. The assistant will be able to remember context within a conversation, handle follow-up questions smoothly, and perform tasks that currently require multiple apps or manual input.

People familiar with the development told Bloomberg that Campos is a separate project from the Siri upgrade expected with iOS 26.4, which will arrive earlier. That interim update will retain Siri’s existing interface while adding features Apple showcased last year, such as reading on-screen content, improved web searches, and limited use of personal data with user permission. Campos, by contrast, will replace Siri’s interface entirely and redefine how the assistant functions.

Launch Timeline and Platforms

Apple is expected to preview the new Siri at its annual Worldwide Developers Conference in June. A public rollout is anticipated around September, alongside the release of iOS 27, iPadOS 27, and macOS 27.

Unlike previous major software updates that focused heavily on visual redesigns, these operating systems are said to prioritise performance improvements, stability, and long-standing bug fixes. Campos will be the headline feature, positioning AI at the centre of Apple’s software strategy for the first time.

Why Apple Changed Its Mind

For years, Apple avoided launching a chatbot, arguing that users preferred AI tools that worked quietly in the background rather than engaging in open-ended conversations. That philosophy began to look outdated as competitors like Samsung, Google, and several Chinese smartphone makers integrated conversational AI directly into their devices.

Apple’s own Apple Intelligence, introduced in 2024, failed to impress at launch due to delayed features and limited capabilities. News of the Campos project was welcomed by investors, with Apple’s stock reportedly rising after details emerged, reflecting confidence that the company is finally closing the AI gap.

What the New Siri Will Be Able to Do

Once launched, Campos-powered Siri will be capable of:

• Searching the web and summarising information

  

• Writing text, emails, and documents

• Generating images and analysing uploaded files

• Summarising documents and conversations

• Using personal data (with permission) to locate messages, calendar events, music, and files

A major advantage over third-party chatbots is Siri’s deep system access. The assistant will be able to see what is happening on the screen and inside apps, allowing it to change settings, open applications, place calls, start the camera, or perform actions across the operating system.

Apple plans deep integration with its own apps, including Mail, Photos, Music, Podcasts, TV, and Xcode. For example, users could ask Siri to find a specific photo based on its contents and then edit it using voice commands, or draft an email using details pulled from upcoming calendar events.

Privacy Still a Core Concern

Privacy remains a sensitive issue inside Apple. While many chatbots store conversation history to personalise responses, Apple is reportedly considering strict limits on how much Campos can remember. The company aims to strike a balance between intelligence and user trust, ensuring that personal data remains protected.

The Technology Behind Campos

Technically, Campos will rely on advanced AI models developed by Google Gemini, while Apple focuses on interface design and user experience. The Siri update in iOS 26.4 will use Apple Foundation Models version 10, whereas Campos will run on a more advanced system known internally as version 11.

Apple is also reportedly in discussions about running parts of the chatbot on Google’s cloud infrastructure — a notable shift from its traditional reliance on in-house systems.

A Defining Moment for Apple AI

With Campos, Apple is no longer positioning AI as a background feature but as a central pillar of its ecosystem. The success or failure of this transition could define how the company competes in the AI-driven future of consumer technology.

After years of hesitation, Apple is finally embracing the chatbot era — and the launch of Campos with iOS 27 could be the most significant evolution of Siri since its debut.