Apple’s WWDC 2025 keynote may be an AI ‘letdown’, but there are 4 Apple Intelligence projects it’s working on that you should be excited about

• Don't expect major Apple Intelligence upgrades at WWDC 2025
• Apple's upcoming keynote is expected to be a 'letdown' from an AI perspective
• Exciting AI projects are in the works, according to a top insider, but you might need to wait until 2026

WWDC 2025 is just around the corner, but those looking forward to major AI announcements from Apple might need to wait a bit longer.

According to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman ($/£), a generally reliable source for Apple info, Apple's AI comeback "probably won’t be happening at this year’s WWDC." In fact, "People within the company believe that the conference may be a letdown from an AI standpoint."

That's disappointing for those who expected Apple to bounce back from its Apple Intelligence woes at this year's WWDC keynote. It's not all doom and gloom, however, as Gurman says we'll see an AI-powered battery management mode, alongside Apple opening up its Foundation Models to third-party developers, which should allow for better AI integration across iOS.

Gurman also says we'll get a "quiet rebrand" of some existing features in Safari and Photos, which will now be called "AI-powered."

If you think that all sounds pretty underwhelming, then I'd be inclined to agree. However, Gurman also reports that Apple is working on some major AI improvements that the company could reveal at WWDC 2026, "when it hopes it can try to convince consumers that it’s an AI innovator."

Here are the four major Apple Intelligence projects Apple is working on:

1. The Siri we've been waiting for

We've discussed LLM Siri numerous times already, but while we had hoped to see the Apple Intelligence-powered Siri that we were promised at WWDC 2024 this year, it appears that this highly anticipated Siri upgrade won't feature in June's keynote.

LLM Siri would give iPhone users a voice assistant on a par with the best, such as Gemini Live and ChatGPT's Advanced Voice Mode. Unfortunately, it looks like we'll have to wait longer than expected, as it's unlikely to be included in iOS 19 (which is set to be renamed iOS 26).

2. AI-powered Shortcuts app

Gurman also claims Apple is working on a "revamped version of its Shortcuts app," which will add Apple Intelligence into the mix to allow users to create custom actions powered by AI rather than created manually, as in today's version of the app.

He claims this project was initially planned for launch this year, but now, due to delays, it could be pushed to 2026.

3. An AI doctor

Code-named Mulberry, this AI doctor idea is essentially the evolution of Apple's Health app.

Gurman says it's "slated to be released in 2026 as part of a spring update to iOS 26. Expect a kind of chatbot-esque health app that would work similarly to those found in fitness trackers like Whoop or the Oura ring.

This idea has been rumored for a while now, and makes sense considering Apple's focus on health and fitness with the industry-leading wearable, the Apple Watch.

4. Knowledge, a ChatGPT competitor

Last but not least, Apple is said to be working on a ChatGPT competitor that "can pull in data from the open web, which some employees have dubbed 'Knowledge.'"

Gurman reports that this project is being led by Robby Walker, who was working on Siri up until a few weeks ago, when a new project leader, Vision Pro's Mike Rockwell, was put in charge.

Apple would love to be able to compete with the likes of OpenAI and Google in the AI space, although Gurman says, "employees familiar with the work say it’s already been plagued by some of the same problems that delayed the Siri overhaul."

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