LOS ANGELES: Apple Inc is plotting its artificial intelligence (AI) comeback with an ambitious slate of new devices, including robots, a lifelike version of Siri, a smart speaker with a display and home-security cameras.

A tabletop robot that serves as a virtual companion, targeted for 2027, is the centrepiece of the AI strategy, according to people with knowledge of the matter.

The smart speaker with a display, meanwhile, is slated to arrive next year, part of a push into entry-level smart-home products.

Home security is seen as another big growth opportunity. New cameras will anchor an Apple security system that can automate household functions.

The approach should help make Apple’s product ecosystem stickier with consumers, said the people, who asked not to be identified because the initiatives haven’t been announced.

Apple shares climbed to a session high on Wednesday after Bloomberg News reported on the plans.

The stock was up nearly 2% to US$233.70 in New York.

It’s all part of an effort to restore Apple’s mojo. Its most recent moon-shot project, the Vision Pro headset, remains a sales flop, and the design of its bestselling devices has remained largely unchanged for years.

At the same time, Apple has come under fire for missing the generative AI revolution. And OpenAI may even threaten the company’s home turf by developing new AI-driven devices with the help of former Apple design chief Jony Ive.

Though Apple is still in the early stages of turning around its AI software, executives see the pipeline of hardware as a key piece of its resurgence – helping it challenge Samsung Electronics Co, Meta Platforms Inc and others in new categories.

A spokesperson for Cupertino, California-based Apple declined to comment. Because the products haven’t been announced, the company’s plans could still change or be scrapped.

Many of the initiatives and their timelines rely on Apple’s continued progress in AI-powered software.

Chief executive officer Tim Cook told employees in an all-hands meeting this month that Apple must win in AI and hinted at the upcoming devices.

“The product pipeline – which I can’t talk about – it’s amazing, guys. It’s amazing,” Cook said. “Some of it you’ll see soon. Some of it will come later. But there’s a lot to see.”

Beyond the home devices, Apple is preparing thinner and redesigned iPhones for release this year. And further out, it aims to introduce smart glasses, a foldable phone, a 20-year anniversary iPhone and a revamped headset dubbed N100.

It’s also planning a large foldable device that melds a MacBook and an iPad.

Apple is looking to boost sales after years of slowing growth for its flagship products.

It also nixed some expansions into new areas, like self-driving cars, adding pressure to find other sources of revenue.

Moreover, the new initiatives will help rebut the idea that the company is no longer innovating like it used to.

Bloomberg News first reported last year that Apple was moving forward with a tabletop robotics project, code-named J595, and developing a new smart-home strategy. But now a clearer picture is forming of its push into that market – and what it means for its AI ambitions.

The tabletop robot resembles an iPad mounted on a movable limb that can swivel and reposition itself to follow users in a room. Like a human head, it can turn toward a person who is speaking or summoning it, and even seek to draw the attention of someone not facing it.

The hope is to bring AI to life in ways that other hardware makers have yet to do. Apple imagines customers placing it on a desk or kitchen counter and using it to get work done, consume media and manage their day.

FaceTime calls will also be a key function of the device. During videoconferencing, the display will be able to shift to lock on to people around a room.

Apple is testing a feature that turns an iPhone screen into a joystick, letting users move around the robot to show different people or items in a room during video calls.

But the hallmark of the device is an entirely new version of the Siri voice assistant that can inject itself into conversations between multiple people. It will be able to engage with users throughout the day and more easily recall information.

The idea is for the device to act like a person in a room. It could interrupt a conversation between friends about dinner plans, say, and suggest nearby restaurants or relevant recipes. It’s also being designed to engage in back-and-forth discussions for things like planning a trip or getting tasks done – similar to OpenAI’s voice mode.

Apple is planning to put Siri at the centre of the device operating system and give it a visual personality to make it feel lifelike.

The approach, dubbed Bubbles, is vaguely reminiscent of Clippy, an animated paper clip from the 1990s that served as a virtual assistant in Microsoft Office.

Apple has tested making Siri look like an animated version of the Finder logo, the iconic smiley face representing the Mac’s file management system.

A final decision on its appearance hasn’t been made, with designers considering ideas that veer closer to Memoji, the playful characters that represent Apple user accounts.

Device prototypes use a roughly seven-inch horizontal display, approaching the size of an iPad mini. The motorised arm can extend the display away from the base roughly half a foot in any direction.

Some people familiar with the product call it the “Pixar Lamp”, referring to the animated film company’s famous logo.

Apple has previously disclosed some research in this area: It published a paper in January detailing a light fixture that uses robotics to move around.

Apple has multiple teams across its AI, hardware, software and interface design groups tackling the project.

The work is being led in part by Kevin Lynch, who previously oversaw a push into smart watch software and cars.

The technology giant is developing several other robots. It has teams exploring a mobile bot with wheels – something akin to Amazon.com Inc’s Astro

– and has loosely discussed humanoid models.

Apple has a group actively developing a large mechanical arm for use in manufacturing facilities or handling tasks in the back of retail stores, a move that could potentially replace some staff. Such a robot, code-named T1333, remains several years away. — Bloomberg