CUPERTINO, California, June 8 (Reuters) – Apple (AAPL.O), opens new tab 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 analyze 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.
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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.
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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 emphasizes 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.
