Apple senior vice president of AI/ML Bob Borchers said the company's artificial intelligence strategy and the evolution of Siri are evolving in a recent interview [1].
These disclosures come as Apple faces intensifying competition in the AI sector and pressure from investors to modernize its primary digital assistant. The strategy outlines how the company intends to integrate generative AI across its hardware ecosystem while maintaining a focus on on-device processing.
Borchers said Tech360 during the window of the Worldwide Developers Conference, which began on June 8, 2026 [2]. The executive detailed the company's approach to product innovation, and the specific roadmap for Siri's capabilities [1, 3].
The conversation addressed the balance between cloud-based intelligence and local execution. While Apple aims for broad accessibility, hardware limitations impact the deployment of its most sophisticated tools. Only three iPhone models can currently access the most advanced on-device Siri AI, known as AFM Core Advanced [4].
This tiered access highlights the dependency of Apple's AI ambitions on its proprietary silicon. By limiting the highest-tier AI features to a small number of devices, the company creates a clear incentive for users to upgrade to the latest hardware to access the full suite of ML capabilities [4].
Borchers said the company is focused on the future of the user experience, and how AI will fundamentally change how people interact with their devices [1]. The interview served as a public-facing extension of the announcements made during the WWDC 2026 event, aiming to reassure consumers and stakeholders that Siri remains a central part of the company's long-term vision [3].
“Only three iPhone models can currently access the most advanced on-device Siri AI”
Apple is transitioning Siri from a basic voice command tool into a sophisticated AI agent, but the hardware requirements for these models create a fragmented user experience. By restricting 'AFM Core Advanced' to only three devices, Apple is utilizing AI as a primary driver for hardware upgrade cycles, signaling that the future of the ecosystem will be defined by the processing power of the on-device chip.
