Apple is getting ready to launch a 2027 AI virtual assistant robot tabletop, creative in nature to usher in a new age of personal AI. The robots will offer a 7-inch iPad-style screen on a new degree of motion arm, ensuring a more engaged (and human-like) experience, according to the company.
The Apple AI-powered Siri assistant takes Siri way past the current beginner level Siri, competing right up with Google Assistant and OpenAI ChatGPT right away. The AI development at Apple is sprinting and this will be a whole new robot by the time it launches in 2027.
The AI-powered companion robot, whose internal project name was the “Pixar Lamp,” will be able to swivel its arm and extend it up to about six inches in any direction to reposition itself to face whoever is speaking. It’s built to be like a person in the room, holding genuine back-and-forth conversations, suggesting restaurants, helping with planning trips and more — just like the interactivity of OpenAI’s voice mode
Apple is working on a new Siri variant for the AI companion robot that allows it to remember stuff, communicate organically, and present a “visual personality” with an animated Finder logo. It will help the robots express emotions, which makes interaction more natural and interesting. While many tabletop robots we’ve seen so far only have the ability to carry out simple tasks, Apple, on the other hand, uses a strategy based around what it calls ‘in-depth, context-aware dialogue’.
Among those includes FaceTime support with what sounds like a Center Stage feature where the robot would automatically track movement during video calls. In calls, users will be able to move a joystick and change the camera view — what is captured by the setting device — to show various areas of the space.
In addition to the tabletop model, Apple is developing a robot with wheels and a long mechanical arm to be used in its manufacturing plants or in retail spaces. Although this mobile system has a slightly different goal, it reflects Apple’s broader efforts to bring robotics and AI to multiple industries.
Details are scarce and likely to remain that way until the Apple AI-powered companion robot finally launches in 2027. By mixing a highly advanced AI system with mobility and human-like interaction, Apple is gearing up to be on the frontline of personal AI and willing to change the way we communicate with machines in our lives.
FAQ
In 2027, the world will get the 7-inch tabletop AI device that writes, fights boredom, and displays human-like interaction and other signature features of today’s best-known AI.
It will turn to look at speakers, participate in conversations, recommend activities, and express emotions through a visual personality.
Indeed, it will have FaceTime support with a Center Stage-style tracking system, along with joystick-controlled view angles.
Meanwhile, Apple is also building its own mobile robot for industrial and retail use.
