Apple CEO John Ternus Wants More AI Features In iPhones: Report

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-Divyanshi Sharma

Published: Monday,
November 9, 2026, 10:00 [IST]

Apple has been taking a relatively cautious approach to artificial intelligence, especially when compared to rivals such as Google and OpenAI. However, that approach could be changing under its new CEO, John Ternus.

A new report suggests that Ternus wants Apple to move faster with its AI plans and go beyond simply improving Siri. Read on.

Apple CEO John Ternus wants faster AI development

According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, Ternus has pushed Apple’s senior vice president of Software Engineering, Craig Federighi, to speed up the company’s AI roadmap.

Gurman, citing people familiar with the matter, reports that Ternus is frustrated with what he sees as Apple’s reluctance to embrace AI with the same urgency as its competitors. During a closed-door meeting, he reportedly asked Federighi to move beyond the improvements already planned for Siri and explore more ambitious AI features.

Federighi has previously been viewed as a sceptic of AI, with concerns around the technology’s privacy, security and wider impact on society and employment. This could explain some of Apple’s cautious approach so far, although the company now appears to be under pressure to move faster.

Apple could make Siri more capable with agentic AI

One of the biggest changes Apple is reportedly considering is making Siri more capable of handling complex tasks. While the assistant received significant AI upgrades with iOS 27, it still has limitations compared to some competing AI assistants.

For instance, Siri cannot yet independently handle lengthy tasks in the background in the way more advanced agentic AI systems are designed to. Apple reportedly wants to address this gap and give Siri the ability to carry out more complex requests with less input from users.

During a recent earnings call, Ternus also described agentic AI capabilities as promising, suggesting that Apple sees potential in this area.

However, Apple’s AI leadership could also see some changes. Gurman reports that Mike Rockwell, Apple’s vice president of Siri engineering, is considering leaving his position or the company altogether next year. Rockwell previously led the development of Apple’s Vision Pro headset before taking charge of Siri’s AI efforts.

If he leaves, his responsibilities could reportedly be handed to Amar Subramanya, a former Google executive who joined Apple last year, and Sebastien Marineau, one of Federighi’s deputies.

Apple is also changing how it develops software

Alongside its AI plans, Apple is reportedly making changes to its software development process ahead of its next major operating system updates, including iOS 28.

According to Gurman, the company wants to give its engineering teams more time for coding, exploring ideas and developing features before they are added to upcoming software releases. The aim is to reduce the time spent rushing changes into operating systems and allow teams to work on ideas more thoroughly.

Apple employees have reportedly responded positively to the change, as it gives them more room to experiment before finalising features.