Apple is preparing a sweeping overhaul of Siri, its voice assistant, with a major reveal expected next year. According to Bloomberg, Apple has built an internal iPhone app—codenamed Veritas—for employees to test. Unlike current AI assistants, Veritas isn’t limited to simple Q&A. Instead, it can execute in-app operations such as music search, email processing, and photo editing. By harnessing on-device intelligence, personal data, and the iOS ecosystem, Apple aims to establish a new benchmark in personalized AI assistance.
At the core of this initiative is a large language model (LLM) system known internally as Linwood. Developed by Apple’s Foundation Models team, Linwood combines proprietary expertise with external innovations, underscoring Apple’s determination to directly challenge market leaders like OpenAI’s ChatGPT. As CEO Tim Cook emphasized, “AI represents the most profound shift in decades.” The upcoming transformation of Siri could mark a decisive turning point for the iPhone experience.
From Simple Commands to a True Personal Assistant
Most users have felt Siri’s limitations—great for basic tasks like, “What’s the weather?”, but clumsy when asked to follow context or perform complex actions. Apple now seeks to transcend these constraints and redefine Siri as an intelligent, context-aware assistant integrated deeply into everyday iPhone use.
Project Veritas: Apple’s AI Testbed
The employee-only app, Veritas—Latin for “truth”—symbolizes Apple’s pursuit of an authentic AI assistant.
Integration of Personal Data and App-Level Actions
What sets Veritas apart is its ability to act directly within iPhone apps using personal data. Imagine asking Siri to summarize a specific email or edit yesterday’s beach photos without ever opening the respective apps. In effect, the iPhone becomes a seamless, intelligent operator—something cloud-based chatbots struggle to replicate. This could evolve into a distinctly Apple advantage.
Linwood LLM: The Engine Behind the Innovation
At the heart of this shift lies Linwood, Apple’s new LLM.
Long-Term Context Awareness
Unlike the old Siri, which often “forgot” previous queries, Linwood enables context retention across extended conversations. Users could say, “Plan a trip to Busan next week,” and days later add, “Change the hotel budget to under $100 per night,”—and Siri would adapt seamlessly. This evolution pushes the assistant beyond commands, positioning it as a reliable digital collaborator.
Tim Cook’s Strategic Bet: “We Cannot Afford to Lose”
In internal meetings, Tim Cook has stressed that AI is an inflection point Apple must win. Historically, Apple has excelled at integrating emerging technologies into polished, user-friendly experiences. Yet in generative AI, the company has trailed behind rivals such as Google, Microsoft, and OpenAI. Veritas signals Apple’s determination to change that narrative.
Apple’s Strategic Play: Redefining the AI Battleground
Apple’s ambitions extend far beyond upgrading Siri. By venturing into AI-driven search and summarization, the company is directly targeting the core value propositions of ChatGPT, Perplexity, and similar platforms.
Merging AI with a Closed Ecosystem
Apple’s unmatched hardware ecosystem—billions of iPhones, iPads, and Macs—combined with its privacy-first philosophy provides a unique foundation for on-device AI. Sensitive health or financial data, for instance, could be processed securely on-device rather than in external servers, reinforcing user trust. In Apple’s vision, accuracy, safety, and personalization converge as the new gold standard of AI.
What This Means for the Future of iPhone
The new Siri, expected to debut in March, represents not just a feature upgrade but a paradigm shift. We are moving from the touch era into the conversation era. Tasks once requiring multiple apps will soon be handled through natural dialogue with a powerful, context-aware assistant.
With Veritas, Apple is building what could be the “killer application” of on-device AI—a fusion of conversational intelligence and personalized app control. Users will soon experience levels of convenience and efficiency previously unimaginable. AI is reshaping technology in the most significant way in decades, and Apple is determined not to miss this wave. Next year, we will witness the dawn of this transformation firsthand.