Apple will unveil more Apple Intelligence features than ever before at WWDC, but they will continue to remain out of reach of the user. Those who don’t want AI can simply ignore or disable it.
We’re only a few weeks away from WWDC 2026, so the internal leaks have begun in earnest. While I’m sure Apple Intelligence and AI will play a major role at the event, I also expect Apple to respect its user base.
Unless something drastic has changed at Apple, and no, I’m not talking about a CEO transition, I doubt Apple’s stance on AI has changed. Since its first big AI event at WWDC 2024, Apple has made it clear that it views AI as a tool that should be in the background and on the device.
Of course, Apple wanted to emphasize that it had AI, so that’s where the rainbow Siri interface and various bits of functionality like writing tools came from. It’s this approach that has earned Apple the “behind” label from experts.
This label carries a lot of weight, especially when it is not properly defined. Apple certainly does not have a competitive tool for generating images or videos, nor a chatbot. It also doesn’t have a can opener on the iPhone, so I could also say that Apple is behind in this area as well.
The reality is that Apple’s hardware ecosystem is beyond what most other companies offer today in the AI space. If the rumors are correct about what will happen in iOS 27, Apple will be a power in the field that cannot be ignored.
But AI itself? This can be ignored.
It will be there, but not in front of you
AI is and always should have been treated as a background task that users don’t have to know about or interact with directly. Imagine if the industry had the same reaction to the first successful machine learning decision tree.
Of course, photo editing tools will benefit from new AI features like extending beyond the frame, changing the perspective of a spatial photo, or an AI-powered enhancement tool. Most iPhone users don’t even open the editing pane and don’t even know it exists, but be aware that some tools will have an AI backend with iOS 27.
Visual intelligence is apparently moving to the Camera app as a toggle. I’m willing to bet that the toggle may be hidden, especially since the feature can still be launched by long-pressing Camera Control. Anyway, you don’t want it? Don’t use it.
Siri is being redesigned with a new backend powered by Apple Foundation Models, but users don’t need to know that. They will still be able to listen to music, set timers, or make calls with the assistant as usual. Those who wish can go further by participating in longer chatbot-style conversations, but this is not an obligation.
I could go on, but I think I’ve made my point.
Apple is the only company doing AI well. It’s a background tool that can do some very cool things, but it’s not meant to be the product itself.
Apple doesn’t need AI to succeed
What’s most interesting about Apple’s place in the AI race is that it has proven that it doesn’t need AI at all. The growing popularity of the iPhone is the key indicator of this. So, seeing Apple slowly build out its AI feature set even though it doesn’t really need it is very interesting.
Apple’s position in the AI race may soon become irrelevant as it welcomes all its rivals
On the contrary, AI needs Apple to succeed.
One of the most important features of iOS 27, which may still be overlooked, will be the ability to call on any third-party tool. For example, if a user wants a request to go through Claude, they can designate the Claude application as their endpoint. Anthropic would support this action via an API.
This means that the Apple Foundation models that power Apple Intelligence could drive functions on-device and Private Cloud Compute, but if necessary, users could choose to target other models themselves. It would also mean not needing some sort of partnership with other companies like OpenAI to make this happen.
While I wish I could have used some of these AI features today, I’m excited about what the Summer Beta cycle could offer. WWDC 2026 is almost a month away, so we don’t have long to wait.