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We all know that Apple is betting big on on-device AI for its upcoming iOS releases and is expected to reframe its AI narrative. Following a host of delays and a tepid initial response to features, Apple Intelligence is all set to get its major revamp at WWDC 2026. And it looks like Apple is all set to reintroduce all the delayed features and debut new ones, making the much-awaited conference all about AI.
WWDC 2026 Will Prominently Feature AI Announcements
According to a report from The Information, Apple will likely lean on showcasing iPhone, Apple Watch and Mac chips and how they handle on-device AI tasks. The Cupertino giant is expected to heavily double down on its 15 years of custom silicon expertise to show what its next generation of hardware and software is capable of.
The next generation of Apple Intelligence features will largely lean on Google's expertise. For those unaware, Apple joined hands with Google to use its large Gemini AI models to train the smaller versions capable of natively running on Apple hardware. To further add value, Apple recently acquired an AI firm called Liquid AI.
While Apple pushes for local inference, some queries will still require cloud processing. This is a departure from Apple's initial claims when it originally announced Apple Intelligence in 2024. During the same time, it said all cloud-bound queries will be handled by Apple's own Private Cloud Compute infrastructure.
The latest report states that the reason for this was that Apple struggled to run Google's full Gemini model on its own infrastructure, which uses the same Apple silicon chips. Therefore, the change in game plan now involves Google Cloud as the main server-side provider, alongside NVIDIA's Confidential Compute technology for security.
Despite the major shift, Apple is still expected to retain the Private Cloud Compute branding. That said, it's no surprise that WWDC 2026 will consist of AI announcements, since Apple has had a pretty rough run when it comes to the same.
Therefore, Apple could be considering this as a final chance to show how Apple Intelligence can compete with the best AI models in the world. This could also be an attempt to fix the poor initial Apple Intelligence attempt and to retain users, giving Apple a good launch pad. Especially since Apple settled its $250 million Apple Intelligence lawsuit as well recently, so doing it justice only makes sense for the company.
The Apple WWDC 2026 schedule has already been announced and it will be held on June 8, 2026. Apple is expected to reveal a lot more during the event, so stay tuned.
