Not Much AI Buzz Expected at WWDC25
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Apple is set to kick off its annual Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) a week from today. As usual, it will open with a keynote presentation showcasing the major software releases we can expect for the iPhone, iPad, Mac, and more. However, one thing that may be conspicuously absent is any significant advancements in Apple’s AI ambitions.
Possibly the highest point of last year’s WWDC was Apple’s announcement of “AI for the rest of us.” Apple spent over a third of the keynote — 37 out of 103 minutes — showing off Apple Intelligence. While iOS 18, iPadOS, and macOS Sequoia each got keynote sections of their own, they still felt more like they were opening for the main act.
However, this year’s WWDC keynote will likely see a return to a more software-focused presentation. Reliable reports have suggested that Apple is planning to give its next iOS, iPadOS, and even macOS releases a fresh coat of paint — likely the most significant overhaul we’ve seen since iOS 17 in 2013 — which means those are sure to take center stage. Apple also reportedly plans to renumber them to match a “model year,” which would see iOS 18 move to iOS 26, macOS 15 to macOS 26, and so on.
Unsurprisingly, Apple is a bit reluctant to hype Apple Intelligence any further after it was forced to admit that one of the key features it showed off last year — a more personalized and contextually aware Siri — isn’t ready for prime time.
While the only official word we’ve seen so far says it will arrive “in the coming year,” many insiders believe that’s closer to an early 2026 release than anything we’ll see in this fall’s “iOS 26.0” release. Even if Apple manages to get it together by this fall, it’s probably hesitant to make any promises until it’s 100% certain it can fulfill them.
Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman has been following Apple’s AI foibles closely over the past few months, and he confirms in this week’s Power On newsletter that while Apple “needs to build some AI buzz” at this year’s WWDC, that’s not likely to happen. “It has little to add to the conversation,” Gurman says. At a time when OpenAI and Google are running on all cylinders, Apple is in a position where it’s better to say as little as possible unless it has something massive to show off — which it almost certainly doesn’t.
Apple needs a comeback. But that probably won’t be happening at this year’s WWDC. People within the company believe that the conference may be a letdown from an AI standpoint. Others familiar with the company’s planned announcements worry they could make Apple’s shortcomings even more obvious.
Mark Gurman
As a result, Gurman also predicts this year’s WWDC will be “smaller-scale” than the last two. WWDC24 was Apple’s big AI reveal, while the 2023 conference showed us the highly anticipated Vision Pro.
The rumored software redesign will be significant but not nearly as groundbreaking, and this could end up being something of a “gap year” for Apple, with WWDC26 expected to be the next event where it makes another big AI push. Sadly, Google and OpenAI will likely have leaped even farther ahead by then.
None of this is to say there won’t be any AI-related announcements next week. Gurman reiterated an earlier prediction that developers will get core access to Apple’s AI models, allowing third-party apps to take advantage of on-device AI in a way that’s previously been cumbersome at best. These will still only be suited for lightweight tasks, but they should allow apps to implement basic AI features more easily and avoid relying on cloud-based processing.
Apple was also adding “AI” features to its devices long before Apple Intelligence became a thing, and it’s expected to bake a few more of those into this year’s software releases. AI-powered battery management and a rebooted Translate app with AirPods support are still on the table, but it may avoid branding these as part of “Apple Intelligence.”
Next week’s keynote may be an opportunity for Apple to tease some other features on the AI roadmap. Still, it’s hard to say whether Apple will want to risk this, as nearly everything it’s working on isn’t expected to see the light of day until 2026, making WWDC26 a better time to unveil them with confidence. This includes Apple’s rumored AI doctor service, the “LLM Siri” that goes beyond personal context into a full conversational voice mode, and a revamped version of its Shortcuts app that can leverage Apple Intelligence to build more sophisticated actions.
[The information provided in this article has NOT been confirmed by Apple and may be speculation. Provided details may not be factual. Take all rumors, tech or otherwise, with a grain of salt.]
