Nikhil Gupta, former Siri and Apple Intelligence engineer at Apple, has announced the launch of an AI agent called szn, which can run directly within iMessage conversations, helping users browse websites, make purchases, and communicate with merchants on their behalf. The service is currently open for registration on its official website, offering early access to select users, with plans to expand further in October.

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More than just answering questions — "acting on your behalf"

Different from traditional chatbots, szn does not just answer questions but can perform actual actions on behalf of users. Users interact with it through iMessage, and it can extract and analyze data from shared notes, Find My locations, and iCloud files, allowing the AI to complete relevant tasks without leaving the current conversation. Gupta said each user will get a separate AI model, and each szn agent has its own name, email address, and phone number, meaning it can theoretically communicate with external services like contacting merchants, handling orders, or making appointments — just like a regular contact.

The mystery of access methods and unresolved privacy permissions

How szn connects to iMessage remains unclear. Apple previously restricted third parties from accessing iMessage in unofficial ways, such as Beeper Mini, which simulated an Apple device identity and was quickly blocked. In June this year, Poke became the first AI agent approved by Apple to connect to the Messages for Business platform, having an official messaging channel, but it's unclear if szn uses a similar method. Meanwhile, Apple is also enhancing Siri: the new iOS 27 version of Siri can now perform some actions within apps and draft messages based on user habits; OpenAI has also added the ability for Mac version ChatGPT to read iMessages and help generate replies, although sending still requires user confirmation.

Allowing AI to handle payment information directly and send messages on its own behalf means users need to address issues related to privacy, security, and authorization scope. The specific pricing model and technical details for connecting to iMessage remain to be officially disclosed.