Apple CarPlay Might Be Getting AI Chatbots Soon (But They Won't Replace Siri)
It appears Apple will finally let AI chatbots be used with CarPlay. According to reports from Bloomberg, OpenAI's ChatGPT, Google's Gemini, or even xAI's Grok could be available for millions of CarPlay drivers in the coming months. While Apple won't let CarPlay users change the way Siri is invoked (which means it will continue to be the standard experience for the infotainment platform), users will finally be able to use voice commands to talk to their favorite AI chatbots.
It's possible Apple intends for this to be one of the top CarPlay features of iOS 27, which is expected to be previewed at the WWDC 2026 keynote in June. Apple's timing might be just enough to improve its own personal assistant, which is expected to get supercharged by a Gemini model starting with iOS 26.4, and a full chatbot experience later this year with iOS 27. If Apple can offer an improved experience with Siri when it announces AI chatbot support, users might opt to stay with Apple for a more personalized and private interface.
CarPlay users are about to get what they always wanted
Currently, CarPlay users have to use shortcuts and widgets to access AI chatbots, or directly from their iPhone through their vehicle's stereo. With people using AI more and more, it's been a missed opportunity that Apple still doesn't support a native experience.
Apple is reportedly working to improve its updated Siri by bringing World Knowledge Answers. This would allow the personal assistant to finally be able to summarize information found online, instead of just providing a link or saying it can't perform that task.
Last year, I had the experience of seeing Grok in action on a Tesla vehicle, and the experience was really smooth with xAI's assistant answering to queries regarding the weather, what was going on in the world in real time, and, of course, even telling a couple of jokes. If Apple can improve Siri to provide a similar experience on CarPlay, it's possible that even if people can download ChatGPT, Gemini, and other options, they would still stick with Siri. Bloomberg has also reported that the new Siri will be iOS 27's main priority, which bodes well for users eager for an improved Siri above all else.