Apple Plans AI Assistant Rivaling OpenClaw for iPhones

Apple, which has lagged behind in the artificial intelligence race, is reportedly preparing much larger plans. According to a recent report, the technology giant may be developing a direct competitor to OpenClaw, an AI system that gained widespread attention months ago for its ability to autonomously run programs and applications on behalf of users.

This forecast comes from Mark Gurman of Bloomberg, who noted that Mike Rockwell, Apple’s lead engineer for Siri, described the new engine powering Siri during his keynote at last week’s WWDC conference as a "completely modern architecture" designed to grow and expand over time. This comment suggested that the current version is only the beginning.

Craig Federighi, Apple’s senior vice president of software engineering, was equally cautious in his remarks. While he did not rule out Apple eventually entering the AI field, he emphasized that the company is not in a hurry and prioritizes improving user experience over simply following the trend.

How Will This Affect Siri?

Siri has already been rebuilt based on a large language model as part of the iOS 27 system, marking a significant advancement. However, the full AI capabilities that would enable Siri to independently operate iPhone, iPad, and Mac applications on the user’s behalf represent a qualitative leap beyond what Apple announced last week. Currently, this functionality remains a vision rather than a reality, but if Gurman’s report is accurate, Apple may not remain on the sidelines of the AI race for long.

The latest AI-powered version of Siri, unveiled at the recent WWDC 2026 conference, appears to have been completely redesigned. This more advanced assistant is supported by a new AI architecture developed by Apple in collaboration with Google. The updated Siri can understand personal context, analyze what appears on the screen, search through apps and files, compose emails, plan events, and even execute multi-step tasks across different applications.

Additionally, Apple introduced a dedicated Siri app featuring a synchronized conversation history across all devices. In summary, Siri has taken a substantial step forward, and if this foundation is what Apple builds upon, the concept of a fully autonomous Siri in the future does not seem unattainable.