Apple software chief Craig Federighi used the WWDC 2026 keynote to draw a stark contrast between Apple’s approach to artificial intelligence and that of the industry as a whole, suggesting that some competitors are developing AI without meaningful consideration of the people using it.
During Monday’s WWDC 2026 keynote, Federighi said:
AI is an incredibly powerful technology. Yet some seem to be moving forward, seemingly pursuing AI for AI’s sake, with no clear concern for the people, all of us, that it is ultimately meant to serve.
These remarks appeared to take direct aim at competitors such as OpenAI, Google and Meta, all of which have aggressively marketed AI products and services over the past two years. Federighi argued that Apple’s conservative approach is more useful because it relies on personal context.
These comments came alongside Apple’s unveiling of Siri AI, a complete rebuild of its digital assistant powered by the next generation of Apple Intelligence. Federighi described the effort as “a big step forward,” with “an innovative architecture that unlocks a new Siri across all platforms.”
Apple said it has created a second version of its Apple Foundation models capable of understanding speech and reading text and images, with a new system orchestrator coordinating the capabilities across all its platforms.
The implied dig at competitors carries a certain irony given Apple’s recent history with AI. The company spent the better part of two years struggling to deliver a significantly improved Siri and earlier this year parted ways with John Giannandrea, its former head of AI and machine learning, following a prolonged restructuring of its AI teams.
Federighi pushed back against the idea that the new Siri is just another “integrated chatbot,” saying the company views it as “an integral but conversational tool that you use in the moment.” Privacy, he said, is “non-negotiable,” with data used only to fulfill a user’s request.
