Apple Bets on Tabletop Robot, Lifelike Siri to Regain AI Edge

Apple is preparing an AI comeback anchored by a tabletop robot, a lifelike reboot of Siri and a new smart speaker with a display, Bloomberg reported, citing people familiar with the plans.

The centerpiece is a desk-side companion robot targeted for 2027 that can swivel to follow users, run FaceTime and act as a proactive, day-long assistant. A lower-cost smart display aimed at home control is slated for as soon as next year, alongside battery-powered home-security cameras that would automate household functions and tie users more tightly to Apple’s ecosystem.

The report said Apple shares rose after the news and noted the initiatives follow the Vision Pro’s soft sales and mounting criticism that Apple has lagged in the generative-AI race.

Under the hood, Apple is testing a redesigned Siri powered by large language models, which could potentially arrive on iPhones and iPads as early as next year . It also includes a new multiuser home OS dubbed “Charismatic,” with a visual Siri interface (“Bubbles”). Apple has also explored external AI models, including Anthropic’s Claude, as it weighs how to power the assistant. Beyond the home push, a broader hardware pipeline includes thinner iPhones this year and longer-dated bets on smart glasses and foldables. Because none of the devices have been announced, timelines could slip or plans could change, the report cautioned.

“The product pipeline — which I can’t talk about — it’s amazing, guys. It’s amazing,” CEO Tim Cook told employees, adding that “some of it you’ll see soon.”

PYMNTS has chronicled Apple’s AI challenges across recent months from investor impatience to talent departures and delayed Siri upgrades. In a July column, PYMNTS CEO Karen Webster wrote that “Apple’s investors are now nervous. They should be. The company has been largely silent while competitors have raced ahead with generative AI deployments, leaving Apple to defend its innovation credentials with incremental hardware updates and vague promises. If Apple wants to remain the brand that defines the consumer tech experience, it must accelerate both its AI product releases and its willingness to lead, not follow, in this fast-moving market.”

Subsequent coverage noted Apple’s “AI crisis” theme among analysts and investors, even as Apple sought to rally employees around its AI roadmap at a rare all-hands meeting. Earlier reports highlighted broader product headwinds, including reduced Vision Pro production and the struggle to land marquee developers for the headset, all pressure that helps explain Apple’s renewed push into AI-enabled devices for the home.