Apple's Ternus Pushes Agentic Siri to Run Tasks on Its Own, Gurman Reports

Apple chief executive John Ternus is pushing Siri to become an autonomous AI agent that can carry out complex tasks on its own, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reported on Sunday, in the clearest sign yet that Apple plans to turn its voice assistant from a tool that answers requests into one that acts on a user's behalf.

According to Gurman, Ternus has held private meetings in recent weeks with software chief Craig Federighi, pressing him to accelerate Apple's AI roadmap beyond routine Siri upgrades. Ternus, who succeeded Tim Cook in September, wants an assistant that tracks what a user is trying to achieve and does the work across several apps at once.

Key Points

• Ternus has pressed Federighi in private meetings in recent weeks to speed up Apple's AI plans, Gurman reported in Power On on Sunday, November 8.
• The goal is an agentic Siri that follows a user's goals and completes complex, multi-step tasks across multiple apps on its own.
• The push targets rivals OpenAI's Dots, Meta's Muse and xAI's Grok, as Apple is seen moving more slowly than its competitors.
• A personalised Siri AI shipped with iOS 27 on September 14, and the iOS 27.3 beta released November 3 adds Siri actions inside Apple's own apps.
• Third-party app actions, such as booking on OpenTable or ordering on Grubhub, are expected in spring 2027, and a fully proactive Siri could arrive as early as next year.

What Happened

Gurman's report, in his Power On newsletter on Sunday, November 8, says Ternus has been meeting privately with Federighi in recent weeks to push Apple's AI work further and faster. The chief executive is said to be frustrated by reluctance inside Apple to embrace AI with competitors' urgency, and wants the roadmap to go well beyond routine Siri upgrades.

What Ternus wants, according to the report, is a Siri that behaves like an agent: it would understand a user's goal, work out the steps needed to reach it, and carry them out across more than one app without being prompted at each stage.

Background: Siri's Long Road to AI

Federighi, Apple's software chief, delivered a functional personalised Siri AI for iOS 27, shipped September 14, on a tight schedule. He has also historically voiced concerns about the technology's privacy, security and societal effects, a caution that has shaped Apple's pace. For years Siri has answered one request at a time; the step to an agent that acts on its own is much larger.

Ternus set out the starting point on Apple's earnings call on November 2, saying Siri is "primarily request-based today" but is built on "a modern orchestrator-driven architecture" that gives Apple room to expand. The next step is under way: the iOS 27.3 developer beta, released November 3, adds Siri AI actions inside Apple's own apps, with a public release expected in December. Third-party app actions are likely in spring 2027, and a proactive, agentic Siri could arrive as early as next year, although Apple has not confirmed a timeline.

Agentic Siri: What Ternus Wants

An agentic assistant differs from today's Siri in one fundamental way: it does not wait for instructions. Instead of answering a question or carrying out a single command, it takes a goal and works through the steps itself, moving between apps and reporting back when the job is done. The examples in Apple's pipeline — cropping a photo, tidying a browser, booking a table, placing an order — are the building blocks of an assistant that completes tasks rather than merely answering them.

That is also why Ternus is said to be impatient: OpenAI, Meta and xAI already market their systems as agents that act on a user's behalf, and Apple risks having the most widely distributed assistant that does the least. The orchestrator architecture Ternus described on the earnings call is the foundation for closing that gap: a system that can plan, choose the right apps and carry out a chain of actions.

Reactions and Quotes

The clearest public statement from Ternus on Siri's direction came on the November 2 earnings call, when he said the assistant is "primarily request-based today" but built on "a modern orchestrator-driven architecture" that gives Apple room to expand.

Gurman's reporting attributes the urgency to Ternus directly, describing him as frustrated by reluctance to embrace AI with competitors' urgency. Federighi's record is mixed: he shipped the personalised Siri AI for iOS 27 on a tight schedule, but he has also been Apple's most vocal executive on the privacy, security and societal questions the technology raises. Apple has not confirmed a timeline for an agentic Siri.

Why It Matters

The stakes are high because Siri is the voice of the iPhone, and the iPhone is Apple's most important product. If rival AI agents become the way people get things done while Siri still waits to be asked one question at a time, Apple risks its assistant becoming a second-class feature on its own flagship device.

There is also a tension at the heart of the plan. An agent that tracks a user's goals and acts across apps needs deep access to personal data, and Federighi's long-standing concerns about privacy and security are exactly about that access. Apple has built its brand on keeping personal data on the device, so an agentic Siri will be judged on what it can do and on how much it knows.

What Happens Next

The near-term milestones are set: iOS 27.3, with Siri AI actions inside Apple's own apps, is expected to reach the public in December, and third-party app actions are likely in spring 2027. A proactive, agentic Siri could follow as early as next year, with no date confirmed.

Watch Apple's next software announcements and earnings calls for signals: any sign that Federighi's team has been given more resources, or a firmer deadline, will show how far Ternus's push has gone.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is an agentic Siri?

It is a Siri that acts like an AI agent: it understands a user's goal and carries out the multi-step tasks to achieve it across several apps, instead of answering one request at a time.

When will the agentic Siri arrive?

Apple has not confirmed a timeline. Gurman's report says a proactive, agentic Siri could arrive as early as next year, with third-party app actions expected in spring 2027.

What can Siri do in iOS 27.3?

The developer beta released November 3 adds Siri AI actions inside Apple's own apps, such as cropping images in Photos and organising Safari tabs, before a public release in December.

Who are Apple's rivals in AI agents?

The report names OpenAI's Dots, Meta's Muse and xAI's Grok as the rival agent systems Apple is racing.

Why is Ternus pushing Federighi now?

According to Gurman, Ternus is frustrated by reluctance inside Apple to embrace AI with competitors' urgency, and wants the roadmap to go beyond routine Siri upgrades.

Related coverage: Apple Q4 earnings: Ternus passes first test; Apple opens Siri AI to developers; Apple M6 MacBook Pro and iMac launch.