Apple unveiled a significantly redesigned Siri at its annual developer conference, marking a major shift in the company's approach to artificial intelligence. The upgraded voice assistant, now called Siri AI, will be integrated with Apple's broader artificial intelligence tool known as Apple Intelligence and is scheduled for widespread release in the fall.
The new Siri functions more like modern AI chatbots such as ChatGPT or Google Gemini rather than a traditional web-based question-and-answer tool. Mike Rockwell, Apple's vice president of Siri engineering, demonstrated the assistant's expanded capabilities during the conference, showing how it can handle complex tasks across multiple apps within a single interface. In one demonstration, Rockwell asked Siri to identify a beach location from a photo, find a friend's address, and then provide directions to the beach with a stop at the friend's house.
The revamped assistant represents a notable partnership strategy for Apple. The company is powering Siri AI through Google's Gemini model as part of a billion-dollar partnership between the two tech giants. This collaborative approach marks a shift for Apple, which traditionally develops core technologies internally.
Siri AI will function as a dedicated app available on iPhones, iPads, and laptops. The assistant can handle various tasks including proofreading, shopping, adding calendar events, and using the camera to extract information like nutrition data from food. Currently, the tool will only be available in English.
Craig Federighi, Apple's senior vice president of software engineering, acknowledged that some competitors have moved faster in the AI race. "Some appear to be racing forward, seemingly pursuing AI for the sake of AI, without clear regard for the people that it's ultimately meant to serve," he said. Apple has previously postponed Siri updates and faced legal challenges over past advertising claims about the assistant's capabilities, settling a class-action lawsuit for $250 million in May.
The announcements came during what will be Tim Cook's final keynote as CEO before stepping down in the fall after 15 years leading the company. Beyond Siri, Apple introduced new child safety features for its devices, including parental controls that limit what content children can access and who they can communicate with. Parents can use a setup assistant to customize restrictions and gradually expand access as children age.
Apple also integrated AI capabilities into Safari, messaging, the Home app, and photography tools. These features were developed in collaboration with Google, further demonstrating the company's shift toward strategic partnerships in its AI development strategy rather than pursuing all capabilities independently.