Well, the rumors were true once again. Today at its Worldwide Developers Conference, Apple unveiled the “next generation of Apple Intelligence” with the long-awaited revamped Siri, dubbed Siri AI.
Siri AI is based on Google’s Gemini model, is more conversational, features on-device processing, and also uses Apple’s private cloud compute when it needs to use servers, which ensures that your personal data is not stored nor accessible to Apple or anyone else. There’s a new Siri app that remembers your past chats, and the new Siri in iOS is also available in Dynamic Island, while on iPadOS 27 and macOS 27 it will be additionally integrated into Spotlight. Siri AI will also be available in watchOS and VisionOS.
The on-device Siri AI model, which will only be available on specific supported devices, offers “even more expressive voices” and “a big boost in accuracy with systemwide dictation.” The intonation and speed of Siri’s voice will be customizable, while Dictation automatically handles punctuation, capitalization, and formatting as you speak.
This can be based on your personal context, including messages, emails, photos, and more. This will of course work with Apple’s own apps, but the company promises that the understanding of personal context will extend to third-party apps when developers integrate with Spotlight.
Siri AI can answer questions about what’s on your screen, or navigate the web to get the latest information using “extensive world knowledge.” All your conversations with Siri AI, no matter what Apple device you use, are synced through iCloud across all your Apple products.
On iOS, the Camera app will have a Siri mode, which will let you ask what you see in front of you. This includes the ability to split the bill with friends using Apple Cash and even get “nutritional insights about your plate of food.”
Visual Intelligence with Siri is also available for the first time on iPadOS and macOS, letting you visually search, ask questions, and take actions instantly on your screen. On iPadOS, it’s integrated into the screenshot experience, and on macOS you can tap into it with a dedicated keyboard shortcut, select something on your screen, and type directly to Siri to get answers about it.
Siri AI has integrated writing tools that are available wherever you type. You can describe what you need and Siri AI will create a draft, or it can refine and edit what you’ve written based on your prompts. When you’re writing in Mail and Messages, Siri AI will reflect how you typically communicate with each recipient, including the punctuation and intonation you commonly use. Siri AI automatically proofreads for you as you type, systemwide, including in “most” third-party apps.
Siri AI will be able to edit and generate images, but the feature will have limits on daily use, with increased access provided with iCloud+ plans. Apple says Siri AI will be available as a beta “later this year” for users with supported devices set to English, and support for more languages will come shortly thereafter.
Initially, Siri AI in the EU will only be available on macOS, watchOS, and VisionOS, if your language is supported. It won’t be available in iOS and iPadOS in the EU, due to the bloc’s Digital Markets Act and the fact that “over the past several months, EU regulators did not approve any of Apple’s proposed solutions for bringing Siri AI to the EU while safely supporting other virtual assistants”, the company says.
Craig Federighi, Apple’s senior vice president of software engineering, said: “Our hope is to eventually bring Siri AI to the EU, and we will continue to engage with EU regulators on the path forward. However, their refusal to engage constructively on solutions that preserve privacy and security means we currently have no timeline for the availability of Siri AI on iOS and iPadOS in the EU.”
If you’re wondering why this is, Apple says that “under EU regulators’ extreme interpretation of the DMA, Apple would be required to give any virtual assistant direct access to users’ private data – and the ability to directly control other installed apps – as soon as Siri AI is made available in the EU, without the necessary protections to keep users and their data safe”.