Apple’s annual Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) 2024 kicked off yesterday with several big announcements, including iOS 18, macOS updates, and more. One of the biggest highlights was the introduction of the much-anticipated new version of Apple’s voice assistant Siri. The updated Siri has been enhanced with advanced generative AI capabilities through a new system called “Apple Intelligence.”

Apple has given Siri these new AI powers to improve its functionality, making it more natural, context-aware, and deeply integrated into Apple’s ecosystem. This change includes ChatGPT integration, which promises more refined responses and new AI-powered features. Apple describes the redesigned Siri as “more natural, more relevant, and more personal,” with the ability to streamline and speed up everyday tasks. Let’s take a detailed look at the new features in Apple’s advanced voice assistant.

new design

The redesigned Siri includes a new design featuring a glowing light that wraps around the edges of the screen when activated. This visual update is intended to create a more engaging user experience. Beyond aesthetics, Apple has expanded Siri’s functionality with onscreen awareness, enabling it to perform tasks based on the content displayed on the screen. For example, users can now ask Siri to add a new address from a text message directly to a contact card or to find and act on book recommendations sent through Messages or Mail.

improve language comprehension

Apple’s Siri now has improved language understanding capabilities, allowing it to process and respond more naturally to user commands. This improvement ensures that Siri can maintain context across many interactions, even when users stumble to speak their words. Additionally, users can now type to Siri and seamlessly switch between text and voice input, providing more flexible ways to interact with the assistant.

Siri and its integration with third-party apps

A special feature of the new Siri is that it can work across a wide variety of apps from both Apple and third-party developers, thanks to the new App Intents API. This means that developers can enable Siri to perform specific tasks in their applications. For example, users can ask Siri to “make this photo pop” in a photo editing app or “send Malia a photo from the barbecue on Saturday” via a messaging app. This expanded functionality allows for more seamless interactions between different apps and services.

Apple partners with OpenAI to power Siri

Notably, Apple has partnered with OpenAI to integrate ChatGPT technology into Siri, boosting its generative AI capabilities. This integration allows Siri to handle more complex tasks and provide more sophisticated responses. Users will be able to access ChatGPT through updates to Apple’s iPhone and Mac operating systems, adding functionalities such as text and content generation. This partnership is part of Apple’s strategy to incorporate advanced AI technologies and stay competitive in the tech landscape.

Apple ensures privacy with enhanced Siri

Apple has assured users that the new AI capabilities in its devices and Siri will adhere to its strict privacy standards. While data processing for some AI features will take place on the device itself, for more power-intensive tasks the company will rely on the cloud without storing user data there. This approach is in line with Apple’s aim to balance increased functionality with user privacy.

Only select Apple devices will get the new Siri

This enhanced Siri experience will be available exclusively on the latest iPhones, iPads, and Macs. Powered by Apple Intelligence, most of Siri’s new capabilities will only be available on the iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max, and iPads and Macs equipped with M1 chips or later.