Apple unveils biggest Siri overhaul ever, striking back in generative AI race

Tim Cook debuts Siri AI at his final WWDC

New assistant reads messages, emails and photos to handle tasks by voice

Apple CEO Tim Cook unveiled a smarter Siri at the Worldwide Developers Conference, his last WWDC before stepping down. [Yonhap]

Apple CEO Tim Cook unveiled a dramatically smarter Siri at what is expected to be his final Worldwide Developers Conference, introducing a new voice assistant called Siri AI as the company's answer to the generative AI race. The revamped assistant can understand personal context drawn from a user's messages, emails and photos, answer questions about content on screen, and carry out tasks across apps — marking the biggest overhaul of Siri since its launch and signaling Apple's intent to embed generative AI capabilities throughout its ecosystem.

Apple introduced Siri AI on Monday at WWDC26, held at Apple Park in Cupertino, California.

The update represents the most sweeping redesign of Siri since its debut in 2011. The announcement drew particular attention as a high-stakes move by Apple — long criticized for falling behind in generative AI — delivered by Cook on his final WWDC stage.

The update applies across Apple's major operating systems, including iOS 27, iPadOS 27 and macOS 27, with a core focus on sharply boosting Siri's intelligence, conversational ability and capacity to execute tasks within apps.

The new Siri AI integrates deeply with iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch and Apple Vision Pro. Where the previous Siri centered on simple question-and-answer exchanges, the new version is designed to understand personal context and perform real tasks across apps. It can surface information scattered across messages, emails and photos, respond to questions about content currently on screen, and generate answers by searching the web for up-to-date information.

A dedicated Siri app will also be added, allowing users to review past conversations or start new ones. Conversation history will sync privately across Apple devices via iCloud. Apple said Siri AI runs on on-device models and private cloud computing to protect user privacy.

Apple Intelligence features will expand to major apps alongside Siri AI. The Photos app will gain AI-assisted image editing, while Safari will support browsing across multiple tabs. Image Playground will offer creative image generation, and Messages and Mail will include writing tools tailored to a user's style and intended recipient.

Apple also strengthened parental controls in the update. Parents can apply age-appropriate protections during child account setup and manage app screen time, contacts and exposure to harmful content. Daily time limits can be set for entertainment, gaming and social media apps, and usage guidelines based on expert recommendations will be available.

Apple also said a 2027 software update will improve app launch speeds, photo loading, AirDrop transfer speeds, and the stability of Wi-Fi and cellular switching. The undisputed centerpiece of this year's WWDC, however, is Siri AI — the vehicle through which Apple has made clear its ambition to bring a full generative AI experience to every corner of its ecosystem.

rim@heraldcorp.com