WWDC 2026 Leak: Apple Ready to 'Buried' Core ML, Replace with Core AI to Dominate AI?

JAKARTA - Apple is rumored to introduce a new framework called Core AI at the 2026 WWDC. This framework is said to replace Core ML as the foundation for machine learning and artificial intelligence development in the Apple ecosystem.

Core ML has long been known as a framework that allows developers to integrate machine learning technology into their applications. In recent years, its functionality has expanded to include various generative and AI features.

According to a report in the Power On newsletter, Apple will release Core AI as a replacement for Core ML, although the two will likely run side by side for a while. There is also the possibility that this change is merely a rebranding of Core ML to Core AI to emphasize Apple's main focus on artificial intelligence.

Previously, at WWDC 2025, Apple had updated Core ML to be able to optimize and run advanced generative models directly on devices faster and more efficiently. Core ML Tools also introduces more granular weight compression techniques to help developers bring large language models and diffusion models to Apple silicon.

Apple's big move in the AI realm is becoming more visible as the company introduces Apple Intelligence in iOS 26. This feature allows developers to integrate Apple Foundation Models directly into their applications, including to generate text and other AI-based functions on-device.

At WWDC 2026, Core AI is expected to focus on integrating third-party AI models into developer applications. Although it is not yet clear how the technical mechanism works, the Context Model Protocol (MCP) is said to be one of the possible approaches.

Apple is also rumored to be pushing a new Apple Foundation Models model trained using Gemini, as well as major improvements to Siri with chatbot-like capabilities. This Siri update is said to be an addition to the new features that are likely to be present in the spring before WWDC is held.

The change of name from Core ML to Core AI, if true, is considered a strong signal of Apple's priority shift. The company does not seem to want to just be a spectator in the global AI wave, but rather aims to place AI at the core of its product and ecosystem strategies going forward.

WWDC 2026 is expected to be a crowded event of announcements, although previously there were rumors that the 27 OS cycle would focus more on bug fixes and stability. With the main spotlight on Apple Intelligence, generative AI models, and Siri's evolution, this conference has the potential to be one of the most important WWDCs in Apple's history.