Xbox Copilot from Microsoft is now available on Windows 11 PCs globally

Apple released public betas for iOS 27 and its other major operating system updates on Wednesday, giving users an early look at software set to launch broadly this fall. The headline addition this year is Siri AI, the long-delayed overhaul of Siri that adds AI-powered capabilities to the assistant. Early testing shows the feature actually functions as intended, though its responses tend to stay brief rather than conversational.

Apple also opened public betas for iPadOS 27, watchOS 27, and macOS 27 Golden Gate alongside the iOS update. All four betas are available now for anyone willing to install pre-release software on their devices.

What to expect from beta software

Installing a public beta comes with tradeoffs. Users testing early software may encounter glitches, app crashes, or faster battery drain than they’re used to on a stable release. Apple’s betas are functional but not fully polished, since the company uses this testing period to catch bugs before the official fall release. Anyone considering the install should weigh whether they’re comfortable dealing with those issues on a primary device.

Backing up your device before installing any beta is strongly recommended. If a beta causes problems serious enough to warrant reverting to the current public release, a backup makes that process far easier.

How to join the beta program

To install the iOS 27 public beta, visit Apple’s beta software page at beta.apple.com and sign up for the program. After backing up your device, open the Settings app and navigate to General, then Software Update. A “Beta Updates” section will appear near the top of the screen. Tap it, then select the iOS 27 public beta to begin the download.

The process works similarly across Apple’s other platforms. iPad users follow the same steps within iPadOS settings, while Apple Watch and Mac users can find comparable beta enrollment options within their respective settings menus after signing up through the same beta portal.

Siri AI takes center stage

Siri’s AI-powered update has been one of Apple’s most anticipated software changes in recent years, following repeated delays to the project. The version now available in the iOS 27 beta represents Apple’s first public look at the reworked assistant, and early impressions suggest it performs its core functions reliably. Its tendency toward short, direct answers rather than longer conversational responses marks a notable design choice, one that sets it apart from AI assistants built by competitors that lean toward more expansive replies.

For users who rely heavily on Siri for daily tasks, the beta offers a chance to test the new AI capabilities months before the general public gets access when iOS 27 launches this fall alongside new iPhone hardware expected around the same time.

Apple has not detailed a specific release date for the final version of iOS 27, though the company’s pattern in recent years points to a launch timed with new iPhone announcements in September.

Tata Consultancy Services is scaling up a workforce built specifically to sit inside client organizations and speed up artificial intelligence adoption, while also shopping for acquisitions in AI and cybersecurity, according to two company executives who spoke with Reuters. The move reflects a bet that AI will generate new business for India’s outsourcing giants rather than shrink it.

The plan comes as investors watch nervously. India’s IT services industry, valued at $315 billion, faces pressure from AI tools that can cut project timelines, reduce the need for large engineering teams, and give clients leverage to demand a cut of the productivity gains AI delivers.

CEO K Krithivasan said TCS wants “as many as 1% to 1.5% of our associates who could be what you would call FDEs.” TCS is India’s largest software services firm. Based on the company’s headcount at the end of June, that range works out to roughly 5,900 to 8,900 employees. Krithivasan did not say whether TCS plans to hire externally or retrain workers already on staff to fill those roles.

What Forward-Deployed Engineers Actually Do

Forward-deployed engineers, or FDEs, work directly alongside client teams to speed up AI adoption and adjust tools to fit specific business needs. The role has become one of the few hiring bright spots for an industry otherwise contending with AI’s push toward greater efficiency, and fewer people needed to get the same work done.

TCS is not alone in chasing this talent. OpenAI, Anthropic and Microsoft have all expanded their own forward-deployed engineering teams to help clients put AI tools to use, putting TCS in direct competition with some of the companies building the underlying technology it depends on.

A Shift Toward Acquisitions

TCS is also looking outward for growth. The Mumbai-based company is evaluating acquisitions in AI, data security and cybersecurity, a shift for a firm that mostly avoided buying other companies for years in favor of growing on its own. That changed in late 2025, according to the executives.

“We are looking at where we can find things which will help us enable or enhance our strategic positioning,” CFO Samir Seksaria said.

Krithivasan Pushes Back on Disruption Fears

Krithivasan pushed back on the idea that AI threatens the outsourcing business model TCS has relied on for decades. He argued that companies still need a partner like TCS to actually integrate AI systems into their operations, and that this need has little to do with price.

“What you need is a deep knowledge of the customer environment to make it work. That is where we differentiate ourselves. This has nothing to do with cost arbitrage. It’s essentially because of the talent pool that we have built,” Krithivasan said.

He pointed to a specific dynamic driving demand for TCS’s services: companies now run multiple AI models at once, and someone has to connect those models to existing systems and manage the data moving between them. That work, he said, is where TCS positions itself.

Growth Numbers Tell a Mixed Story

The numbers tell a more complicated story than Krithivasan’s confidence might suggest. TCS’s AI revenue growth slowed sharply, dropping to 13% in the first quarter from 28% the previous quarter. Krithivasan said he wants the AI business to grow around 25% quarter-on-quarter over the long run, but he cautioned that the path there will not be a straight line.

To support that ambition, TCS is putting real money behind internal AI capability. Seksaria said the company spends about $1 billion a year on talent development and making AI tools accessible across the organization. That spending covers training programs, targeted hiring, and recruitment aimed specifically at workers with experience in AI-native technologies, rather than general software skills.

The forward-deployed engineer push and the acquisition search represent two sides of the same strategy: build internal capacity to deploy AI for clients while buying capabilities TCS does not already have. Whether that combination proves enough to offset the slowdown in AI revenue growth, or to fend off competition from firms like OpenAI and Microsoft for the same pool of engineering talent, remains an open question the company will face over the coming quarters.