With WWDC 2026 just weeks away, Apple seems to be laying the groundwork for what looks like its most significant artificial intelligence push yet. A new subdomain going by the URL “genai.apple.com” has been quietly added to Apple’s domain name servers, spotted by MacRumors. Though it doesn’t point to a live page yet, the timing, a few weeks before the June 8th keynote, suggests Apple is preparing a dedicated home for its generative AI story, separate from the existing Apple Intelligence page already on its site. What that page will actually contain isn’t clear yet, but the intent seems obvious.
A smarter Siri expected
The headline feature expected at WWDC is a more capable, conversational Siri. iOS 27 is reportedly bringing a dedicated Siri app that allows back-and-forth dialogue, closer in experience to what ChatGPT and Google Gemini already offer. Siri will also gain on-screen awareness, meaning it’ll be able to understand and act on what’s actually visible on your display at any given moment.
For years, Siri has lagged behind Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa on contextual understanding, and well behind ChatGPT on open-ended conversation. If Apple delivers on this, it closes a gap that’s been a genuine weak point on iPhones.
Genmoji, Image Playground, and more
Beyond Siri, Apple Intelligence is getting a broader upgrade across iOS 27. Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman reports that Genmoji and Image Playground, both introduced with iOS 18.2, are in line for quality improvements. Genmoji could soon suggest custom emojis based on your photo library and commonly used phrases, rather than requiring you to manually type a prompt every time.
Image Playground, which currently lets users generate images using ChatGPT, may expand to support additional third-party AI models. Earlier reports point to Google’s Nano Banana as a possible addition, which could also enable on-device AI image editing.
Elsewhere, Apple Intelligence is being woven deeper into the OS. Safari will auto-name tab groups, Visual Intelligence will be able to read food nutrition labels and pull contact info from business cards, and Voice Control is gaining natural language support.
Google announced several AI-first features at I/O earlier this month, and Samsung has been steadily expanding Galaxy AI across its lineup. Apple has moved more cautiously, prioritising on-device processing and privacy. That approach has its merits, but the pace has frustrated users expecting more from Apple Intelligence since its announcement. WWDC 2026 looks like the moment Apple will try to close the gap.
If you’re looking forward to the new features, here’s something worth noting. If you’re an iPhone user sitting on an older device, iOS 27’s AI features are likely to be limited to iPhone 15 Pro and newer, given the processing requirements.
