Apple has significantly upgraded its virtual assistant with the introduction of Siri AI in the upcoming iOS 27, delivering new features that aim to make it a robust competitor to existing chatbots like ChatGPT and Claude.
Enhanced Capabilities and Personal Context
The revamped Siri AI boasts increased knowledge and capability, notably its ability to access and understand personal data from applications such as Mail, Messages, and Photos. Apple states that this new iteration possesses understanding and reasoning abilities previously unavailable, with four primary improvements enhancing its functionality. Users can now engage in extended conversations with Siri, incorporating multiple tasks into a single request.
A key advancement is Siri’s access to a personal context understanding engine, powered by an overhauled search index. This allows Siri to retrieve and comprehend content from emails, text messages, files, photos, and notes across an individual’s apps. Users can ask Siri to locate specific photos, extract information from messages, or find files, with the underlying Apple Intelligence semantic index facilitating these tasks. Examples of queries include finding photos from a specific year, recalling directions to a future meeting, or retrieving confirmation numbers for travel.
Broad World Knowledge and Onscreen Awareness
Siri AI can now search the web for current information, enabling it to answer a wide range of questions, similar to other AI chatbots. It can analyze documents and leverage web data for additional context, assisting with tasks such as finding recipes, party planning, homework help, gardening advice, and DIY projects. The assistant can also provide information on current events, like sports scores or showtimes, and offer practical assistance such as calculating tips or planning trips.
Furthermore, Siri AI features onscreen awareness, allowing it to understand and respond to queries about what is currently displayed on the user’s screen. It can identify elements within images, read text, and analyze content. For instance, Siri can determine the location of a photo if recognizable landmarks are present or provide directions to a location shown on screen. Users can also ask Siri to summarize content or translate menus directly from the screen.
App Actions and Systemwide Integration
App Actions enable Siri AI to interact with and utilize tools within various applications, including both Apple’s own apps and third-party applications that have integrated support. This allows Siri to perform actions on behalf of the user, such as responding to emails, sending photos to contacts, adding calendar events, or organizing photos into albums. Users can also chain commands, like requesting directions to a destination with a stop at a coffee shop.
The interface for interacting with Siri has also been updated. On iPhones, a new Search and Ask Siri interface, accessible from the Dynamic Island, replaces the previous Spotlight search. A swipe down from the middle of the screen brings up this interface, where users can type or speak requests. Siri’s responses are displayed with animations, and users can expand the interaction by swiping down on a response to reveal a text bar for follow-up questions or clarifications. A ‘+’ button allows for the inclusion of images or documents in conversations.
Siri AI functions systemwide, meaning it can be utilized within any application. Users can select text or images and ask Siri to act upon or provide information about the selection. A dedicated Siri app is also available, offering a way to start new conversations or revisit past interactions, with conversations syncing across devices.
Writing Assistance and AI Models
A new ‘Write with Siri’ feature allows users to leverage Siri for drafting documents, composing emails, and sending messages. Siri can adopt the user’s typical writing style and offer feedback on text, suggesting improvements for tone or clarity. It can also perform edits based on descriptive commands, such as making an email more formal or converting bullet points into a paragraph. Automatic proofreading for spelling and grammar is also integrated.
The Apple Foundation models powering Siri AI are developed with technologies based on Google’s Gemini AI models, integrated into iOS and coordinated by a system orchestrator that utilizes the Spotlight index and app toolbox. Privacy is maintained through on-device processing and Apple’s Private Cloud Compute, which is expanding to utilize Google Cloud infrastructure.
Availability and Device Requirements
Siri AI will be available in the iOS 27 beta and will be accessible to all users this fall. It is also coming to iPadOS 27, macOS Golden Gate, visionOS 27, and watchOS 27. Device requirements include support for Apple Intelligence, such as the iPhone 15 Pro and later models. Notably, Siri AI will not be available in the European Union at launch for iPhone or iPad, though it will be on Mac. It will also not be available in China. Language support begins with English variants, with plans for expansion.
Steve Lopez is the Editorial Page Editor for News Raise. He covers Health. He has won more than a dozen national journalism awards for his reporting and column writing at seven newspapers and four news magazines.
