Apple rolls out new 'Siri AI' at WWDC 2026 powered by Apple's intelligence

Apple just officially launched the new "Siri AI" with advanced features at WWDC 2026.

The Tim Cook-owned tech giant on Monday unveiled a series of AI upgrades to its assistant Siri, including better voice recognition and a standalone app, rolling out a long-anticipated overhaul that the iPhone maker has been striving to improve for the last two years.

The newly revamped Apple assistant, "Siri AI," was launched at its annual Worldwide Developers Conference at its Cupertino, California, headquarters. 

Apple's new Siri AI:

Siri AI is capable of analyzing what is on the device screen and has what Apple calls "broad world knowledge" that allows it to reach out to the web for more information.

Users will also be able to refer back to a previous Siri conversation, and the assistant will be able to find bits of information like a friend's address sent in a message, even if that information was not formally saved, Apple executives said.

"Truly helpful AI must be centered around you and your needs," Apple software chief Craig Federighi said.

"This means integrating AI deep into the products you use every day, grounding it in your personal context and the apps you rely on, and designing it with privacy at every step. This is our vision for Apple Intelligence."

Apple's Siri overhaul has been the central focus for this year's developer conference, after the company's initial promise of a Siri revamp in 2024 was followed by multiple delays, leaving the company lagging in the AI race.

The tech giant has been seeking to close a gap with rivals such as Microsoft and Alphabet's Google, which have moved faster to embed "agentic" AI software that can carry out complex tasks into everyday computing.

What's interesting?

Apple on Monday said Siri AI comes with a new voice experience that allows the assistant to sound "a lot more expressive" and more conversational. 

Siri AI will also be available on its iPads, and it was still working on tailoring the assistant for its smartwatches.

Apple said Siri AI will not be available on iPhones or iPads in the EU initially and that it will not be available in China at all as the company works through regulatory issues.

Additionally, images and searches with the new Siri AI would be saved to a new freestanding app available across iPhones, iPads, and Macs, synced up together with Apple's private cloud computing technology.

The company will start offering the upgraded Siri in the English language, it said, adding that other languages will be added "quickly." Apple did not share a more detailed timeline.