Apple Preps 'Core KI' for iOS 27
Apple is reportedly replacing its long-standing Core ML framework with a new system called "Core KI" (Core AI) for iOS 27. The change, expected to be unveiled at WWDC 2026, signals a major strategic shift toward richer, on-device intelligence and more sophisticated AI-powered consumer features.
The shift from "Core ML" represents a significant evolution in Apple's approach to artificial intelligence, moving beyond simply providing tools for developers to integrate machine learning models. The new "Core KI" framework is anticipated to focus on facilitating the integration of third-party AI models, signaling a more open ecosystem. This change suggests a strategic pivot from a primarily closed system to one that embraces a wider range of AI tools. This move is part of a broader strategy known as "Apple Intelligence," which combines on-device processing for privacy and speed with the ability to offload more complex tasks to cloud infrastructure. Apple's approach prioritizes running AI tasks locally on their custom silicon, like the M-series chips with their powerful Neural Engines, to maintain user privacy and reduce latency. For more intensive tasks, Apple is partnering with companies like Google to utilize their Gemini model, indicating a flexible, hybrid approach to AI. For developers, this transition is expected to be streamlined through the Foundation Models framework, which allows for the integration of on-device large language model capabilities with minimal code. This framework is designed to give third-party developers direct access to the same on-device models that power Apple's own AI features, potentially at no inference cost. This contrasts with Google's approach with TensorFlow Lite, which also enables on-device machine learning but is part of a more traditionally open-source ecosystem. Ultimately, these under-the-hood changes in iOS 27 are expected to power a new suite of consumer-facing AI features. A completely redesigned and smarter Siri with a more interactive interface and the ability to understand complex requests is a central focus. Other rumored features include an AI-powered web search tool, a health-focused chatbot as part of a "Health+" subscription service, and an AI-driven calendar application that can automate scheduling.
