Apple could make Siri work 'more like an agent' as early as next year, Mark Gurman reported in his Bloomberg newsletter on 8 November, as relayed by MacRumors. The same reporting says Apple's chief executive, John Ternus, has told software chief Craig Federighi that the company needs to speed up its software plans.
Apple hasn't announced anything, and Gurman says the details aren't known. So treat this as a strong signal rather than a product launch. But the signal matters, because it points the same way as everything else happening in AI right now.
What 'agent' actually means
An assistant answers when you ask. An agent takes a goal and keeps working on it. According to the report, products such as OpenAI's Dots, Meta's Muse and Grok can track goals, decide what to do next and carry on without being told each step.
For a customer, the difference looks like this. Today you might ask, 'Which shops near me sell this?' and get a list. With an agent you say, 'Find me one at a fair price, check it's in stock and arrange delivery for Friday.' The software does the comparing. You approve the result.
Why this isn't only an iPhone story
Plenty of your customers may not own an iPhone at all, and you may be tempted to stop reading here. But Apple is arriving late to this. The agents named in the report come from other companies, and they aren't tied to one kind of phone.
We've already written about customers finding businesses through ChatGPT instead of Google. Agents are the next step along that road. First the software recommended a business. Next it may try to deal with that business on the customer's behalf.
Where an agent gets stuck
Imagine software trying to buy from a typical small business. These are the places it would stop.
'DM for price.' There's nothing to compare, so the business drops out of the comparison.
Prices and opening hours posted only as flyer images. A person can read a flyer. Software may misread it or miss it entirely, especially when last month's flyer is still up.
A phone number as the only way to book. An agent can't easily wait for you to pick up.
Payment that ends in 'send a screenshot on WhatsApp'. Nothing there confirms that the order is real.
Notice that none of this is really about AI. Every one of those things frustrates human customers too. They just give up quietly, so you never hear about it.
What to fix now, whatever Apple does
Put real prices on your website, or at least a real 'from' price. Keep your services, opening hours and delivery areas in plain text on the page, and keep them current. Make sure your Google Business Profile says the same thing as your website.
If customers book or order from you regularly, let them do it online, with a confirmation that doesn't rely on someone being awake. And take payment through something that confirms itself, so an order and its payment are linked without a person checking a phone.
These are small jobs, and they pay off today with ordinary customers. If agents arrive on schedule, you'll be ready. If they arrive late, you'll still have a business that's easier to buy from.
Where to start
Open your own website on your phone and try to find a price, book a slot and pay, without calling anyone. Wherever you get stuck, a customer gets stuck too, and soon their software will as well.
If that test goes badly, we can help. A clear website fixes the information problem, and business automation handles the booking, confirming and following up. Tell us where you got stuck.
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