Apple is gearing up to once again showcase its revamped Siri at WWDC 2026, marking yet another attempt to deliver on AI promises first made two years ago. The company originally unveiled the "new Siri" at WWDC 2024 as part of its Apple Intelligence rollout, featuring a redesigned look with a glowing border, new voice options, and ChatGPT integration. However, the deeper AI-powered capabilities were consistently delayed, prompting a class-action lawsuit that Apple is now settling by paying iPhone owners for the features that never materialized.
According to senior Verge reviewer Allison Johnson, Apple's AI missteps may have inadvertently created a strategic advantage. While Google's Gemini has raced ahead with capabilities like ordering Ubers, arranging DoorDash deliveries, and reading your calendar to suggest when to leave for the airport, the more powerful these assistants become, the more unsettling they feel to users. Johnson admitted that despite granting Gemini access to her Google Photos and Gmail, hearing it say her son's name out loud still gives her "the creeps." This growing discomfort, particularly pronounced among younger users, suggests that Apple's slower approach to AI integration might actually align better with where consumer trust is heading.
The core tension Johnson identifies is the gap between wanting a proactive AI assistant and actually experiencing one that anticipates your every move. Gemini's willingness to integrate deeply with personal data is what enables its impressive functionality, but that same access is what makes many users uncomfortable. Apple's struggles with Apple Intelligence have kept it from delivering on a similar vision, but the company may now find itself in a position where consumers are more skeptical of exactly the kind of all-knowing assistant Google has built.
Whether Apple can capitalize on this shift remains to be seen at this year's WWDC, where the company is expected to re-reintroduce Siri features that were originally promised in 2024. The article suggests that playing from behind in the AI race might not be the worst place to be if user sentiment continues trending toward greater privacy concerns and reduced appetite for AI systems that know too much. For now, Apple's biggest AI failure may have accidentally positioned it well for a market that's increasingly wary of how much access these assistants really need.