Apple bets on overdue Siri fix to close AI gap

Highlights:

• Apple touts personal context understanding, on-screen awareness in Siri AI
• Apple faces pressure to match rivals' AI advances while maintaining user trust and privacy
• Siri AI will not initially be available on iOS, iPadOS in EU; will not be available in China

Apple on Monday rolled out a long-delayed overhaul of Siri, betting the upgraded assistant can help close the gap with Big Tech rivals and new-age startups in the crucial AI race.

The revamp, unveiled at its annual Worldwide Developers Conference in Cupertino, California, introduces "Siri AI", a more conversational assistant with a standalone app and the ability to analyse what is on a user's screen and pull in information from the web. The update comes two years after Apple first promised major upgrades that were repeatedly delayed.

Apple said users would be able to revisit past Siri conversations, while the assistant can locate details such as an address mentioned in a message even if it was never formally saved.

The changes mark Apple's most significant attempt yet to revive Siri, which has struggled to keep pace with OpenAI's ChatGPT, Anthropic's Claude and Google's Gemini, which have moved faster to embed "agentic" AI — or software that can carry out complex tasks — into everyday computing.

"Some appear to be racing forward, seemingly pursuing AI for the sake of AI, without clear regard for the people, all of us, that it's ultimately meant to serve," Apple software chief Craig Federighi said in his keynote speech, alluding to rival AI developers.

Apple has taken a different approach from rivals in how it builds those AI features: while competitors are pushing toward fully autonomous "agents", Apple has largely avoided that framing. Instead, it emphasises practical features integrated into everyday tasks.

"This finally delivers on the promise of Siri from 15 years ago," said Bob O'Donnell, president and chief analyst at TECHnalysis Research. "It's AI for the masses; it's not really agentic," O'Donnell said. "For a lot of people, this is the kind of smarts they're looking for."

Still, the early reception from analysts was measured. The updates were not "earth-shaking" but should make Siri "a credible chatbot and possibly a credible agent", said MoffettNathanson analyst Craig Moffett.

Apple shares closed 1.9% lower at $301.54 on the Nasdaq on Monday.

Smarter 'Siri AI' raises some privacy concerns

Apple is also leaning on partners to power parts of its AI push. It said some of its models were built using Google's Gemini technology, while larger models will run in cloud infrastructure using Nvidia chips.

At the same time, Apple stressed that personal data would remain private, with most processing done on users' devices or through its own system designed to shield data from outside access.

But for Siri AI to be able to monitor what is happening on a user's screen and inside apps, Apple needs greater visibility about a user's digital life. "That creates an inevitable tension between convenience and privacy," PP Foresight analyst Paolo Pescatore said. "The challenge for Apple is convincing consumers that intelligence does not have to come at the expense of privacy."

Siri AI, Apple said, can help users search through messages and emails, and has on-screen awareness that allows it to answer questions immediately related to the content on a user's screen.

Images and searches with the new Siri AI will be saved to a new freestanding app available across iPhones, iPads and Macs, synced up together with Apple's private cloud computing technology. Other AI capabilities are executed entirely on-device, Apple said.

Apple has been in the crosshairs of the European Union's Digital Markets Act, with regulators pushing for the company to open up its ecosystem.

The company said that due to the privacy and security concerns, Siri AI will not be available "initially" in the EU on iPhones or iPads. Apple added it will not be available in China as the company works through regulatory issues.

New child-safety updates

Beyond Siri, Apple announced a slate of smaller updates, including new child-safety controls that allow parents to manage the apps, websites and contacts their children can access. Messaging apps will blur graphic images by default and alert parents, expanding earlier safeguards focused on nudity.

The company also introduced upgrades to its image-generation tools and added AI features to its Safari browser, such as checking whether items are back in stock on a website.