Say hi to "Siri AI"—Apple announces new, more "conversational" voice assistant

Apple has unveiled "Siri AI," a major overhaul of its voice assistant, at the Worldwide Developers Conference, promising a more conversational and integrated experience. This update, part of "Apple Intelligence," will roll out this fall, featuring a new Google-powered update to Apple’s on-device Foundation Models. Apple emphasizes a user-centric approach, stating that truly helpful AI must be centered around user needs.

Siri AI demonstrates advanced capabilities through scripted conversational demos. These include seamlessly bouncing between different usage modes and app-based tasks, showcasing how it can handle complex, multi-step requests. Examples included planning a World Cup watch party menu, integrating information from messages, and getting directions to multiple locations.

A key advantage of Siri AI is its deep integration into the "personal context" of data on your device. This allows Siri to search across messages and emails for information, even if the user can't recall its exact location. This "personal context" also extends to customizing writing styles for emails to specific contacts, matching previous communication.

Beyond basic tasks, Siri AI leverages "world knowledge" through web searches via private cloud compute and uses app actions to complete tasks. It also features "visual intelligence," enabling responses to questions based on visual input from the camera or extracting information from complex images. A new "Write with Siri" feature allows text generation across applications, and an AI-powered proofreading system checks writing style system-wide.

These new Siri AI features will be integrated into macOS Spotlight search, activating Siri conversations when relevant. Users can also interact with Siri across the OS by ctrl-clicking photos, files, or text. Conversations with Siri AI will be stored locally and via iCloud in a dedicated app, allowing continuity across Apple devices. This ensures privacy by keeping conversations securely on the user's device and iCloud.

Siri AI's initial release will be in English, with plans for broader language support. Apple has stressed "non-negotiable" privacy protections, ensuring that Siri AI conversations remain private and inaccessible to Apple or third parties. This commitment to privacy underpins Apple's approach to its new AI offerings.