Apple is reportedly grappling with a fresh wave of departures from its artificial intelligence division, even as it readies significant upgrades to Siri aimed at making the voice assistant more conversational and competitive with leading chatbots.
According to a new report from Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, at least four AI researchers and a senior Siri executive have left the company in recent weeks, raising questions about internal challenges at a time when Apple is accelerating its generative AI ambitions.
Senior exits from Siri team
Among those to depart is Stuart Bowers, described as one of the most senior leaders overseeing Siri’s development. He has joined Google’s AI research arm, DeepMind.
Reportedly, four researchers, Yinfei Yang, Haoxuan You, Bailin Wang and Zirui Wang, have also left the company. Their exits come as competition for experienced AI talent intensifies across the technology industry, particularly among firms building large language models and conversational assistants.
The losses could complicate Apple’s efforts to modernise Siri, which has often been viewed as lagging behind rivals such as Google Assistant and OpenAI’s ChatGPT in terms of natural conversation and contextual awareness.
Personalised Siri planned for iOS 26.4
Despite the departures, Apple is reportedly pushing ahead with a revamped version of Siri expected to arrive with iOS 26.4 later this year.
The report adds that an updated assistant is said to be powered by Google’s Gemini models and will focus on deeper personalisation. Apple previously outlined several improvements, including better understanding of a user’s personal context, awareness of what is happening on screen, and tighter integration with apps for more advanced controls.
The release is expected to enter beta testing in February, with a wider rollout likely in March or April.
These upgrades are likely designed to make Siri more useful in everyday tasks, allowing it to perform complex actions within apps and respond more intelligently to individual habits and preferences.
