Will Apple Shed Its "AI Laggard" Label? WWDC Set for June 8

Official Invitation Released... Online Event from June 8 to 12
Major New AI Features Expected

Apple announced on May 19 that it will hold its annual developer event, the Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) 2026, for five days starting from June 8 next month.

WWDC is Apple's software-focused event held annually around June, and, along with the new product launch event for iPhones and other devices in the second half of the year, is considered one of Apple's two major annual events. This year, WWDC26 will be held online from June 8 to June 12 (local time).

Apple announced on the 19th that it will hold its annual developer event, the Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) 2026, for five days starting from the 8th of next month. Apple

At WWDC26, Apple plans to unveil new software and developer tools across its platforms.

During the keynote of WWDC26, Apple is expected to introduce the next-generation iPhone operating system (iOS 27), as well as MacOS 27 and iPadOS 27. The keynote will take place at 10 a.m. on June 8 (local time, 2 a.m. KST on June 9) and will be streamed live through Apple's official website and YouTube.

The subsequent "Platforms State of the Union" session will introduce developers to new features, application programming interfaces (APIs), and technologies.

Although WWDC26 will be held online, more than 1,000 developers and students will be invited to attend an in-person event at Apple Park, Apple's headquarters in California, United States, on the first day, June 8. This group will include 50 outstanding winners selected through Apple's student program, the Swift Student Challenge.

There are expectations that new AI-related features will be unveiled at this year's WWDC. This is because Apple has been regarded as lagging behind major competitors such as Google and Samsung Electronics in implementing AI functionality.

According to major foreign media outlets, including Bloomberg, Apple will introduce a standalone Siri app at WWDC 2026. Siri, Apple's voice assistant, has previously been embedded in the operating system, allowing it to be summoned without a separate app. The new Siri app is expected to function similarly to an AI chatbot, allowing users to chat or converse by voice, remember conversation history, and provide contextually appropriate responses. It is also reported that users will be able to upload files such as images and documents to the Siri app and request tasks.

The AI model used in the Siri app is also expected to be selectable by users. Depending on the task, users will be able to choose among various AI models such as ChatGPT, Gemini, and Claude. Currently, the only AI service that can be used through Siri is OpenAI's ChatGPT.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.