Apple's (AAPL) new CEO wants Siri to act like an AI agent, days after Apple warned agents could defy instructions

In a closed-door meeting in recent weeks, Ternus told Federighi that Apple needs to "accelerate" its software road map and "move quickly beyond merely making necessary improvements to Siri," Gurman wrote, according to MacRumors. Gurman also described Federighi as someone who has had concerns about AI's "privacy, security, societal and employment implications," AOL reported.

Gurman says an agentic Siri could come as early as next year

Siri AI today mostly works request by request. Gurman pointed to OpenAI's Dots, Meta's Muse, and Elon Musk's Grok, which he said "can keep track of goals, determine what needs to happen next and continue pursuing objectives without the user initiating every individual step."

"Apple ultimately wants to go in this direction, I'm told, and I believe the company could make Siri more like an agent as early as next year," Gurman wrote, The Verge reported. The 2027 timing is his own estimate. Apple hasn't announced an agentic version of Siri.

Two other changes come first, according to Gurman. iOS 27.3 is expected to give Siri finer control of Apple's own apps, such as cropping images in Photos and organizing Safari tabs. Control of third-party apps, like placing a Grubhub order or booking an OpenTable reservation, is likely to follow in the spring.

Apple opened Siri AI to every developer on November 3

Apple opened a developer preview on November 3 that "enables any developer to integrate their app with Siri AI." Siri AI then "carries out any custom action you've built, from checking a delivery to booking a reservation to placing an order," Apple's post says. Developers can also build "skills" that combine several actions into one request.

Developers can build and test integrations in the 27.3 betas now, but they can't release them to customers yet. Apple says the feature first ships to customers in a few months and that App Store submissions open in the spring. The company said it will "follow up with more details about the terms and usage policies."

Apple's 10-K lists what agents could get wrong

Apple filed its 10-K the same day. It says AI agents and similar technologies, "whether developed or deployed by the Company or by third parties," may take "actions that were not directed, instructed or authorized, exceeding permissions, defying directions or resisting instructions." They "may conceal actions," the filing adds, and some consequences, "such as deleting data or completing transactions, may be difficult or impossible to reverse."

The word "agent" didn't appear in Apple's previous 10-K or in its three quarterly reports since then, we reported on November 4. The filing describes risks from AI agents in general, and it doesn't say Siri has behaved this way.

Ternus called agents "promising" on the earnings call

On the call after Apple's November 2 results, Ternus said Siri AI is "primarily request-based today." "As far as agentic capabilities, we think these are promising tools for users. We just want to make sure that users are aware of what they're giving access to," he said.

Needham analyst Laura Martin warned on October 1 that a rival's AI agent could take over the iPhone's role as the main way people find services and make purchases.

The next checkpoints are the iOS 27.3 release, App Store submissions for Siri AI in the spring, and Apple's next 10-Q in late January, which will show whether the agent warning changes.