GoKawiilApple's WWDC 2026 had its biggest moment yet for artificial intelligence. And that includes the software conference two years ago when the company first dropped its AI, named Apple Intelligence.
The WWDC keynote, kicked off by outgoing CEO Tim Cook, aimed to fulfill many of the promises the company has made about its AI. The biggest news is about the emergence of the smarter, AI-enabled Siri.
All of these updates will be available with the next generation of Apple software, most prominently in iOS 27. The iPhone software is expected to be widely released this fall, after the beta versions go out this summer. You'll need an iPhone with the necessary computing juice that can run Apple's AI, so iPhone 16 models or newer will be compatible, along with a couple of iPhone 15 Pro models.
Watch this: Everything Apple Unveiled at WWDC 2026 12:50
Siri, Siri and more Siri
Siri is the cornerstone of the new Apple Intelligence, wherever it appears in Apple's apps and devices. Apple has been promising to use AI to make a smarter Siri since it launched Apple Intelligence back in 2024. And it's paid the price for its delay, including a $250 million court settlement announced last month. Now, we finally have a clear picture of what Apple's AI-enabled assistant will be able to do -- even if we don't yet have a solid launch date beyond "in beta later this year."
For starters, even the name is changing: Meet the new Siri AI. This version comes with its own app and new customizations, including new voices you can choose from. Siri AI will be in your iPhone, Mac, Watch, CarPlay and even in your AirPods.
"This is very much the Siri that Apple first hinted at two years ago, but this time fully realized," CNET's Principal Writer Katie Collins reports. "But the real test -- whether it meets the expectations of people dreaming of a true digital personal assistant -- is still to come."
Siri AI is more conversational. It remembers what you asked it previously, so you can chat with it like you would a friend -- or more likely, an AI chatbot -- so it keeps up with a long string of prompts. It can take action to do searches across your device, the web and ChatGPT. In the example shown in Apple's WWDC keynote, you can have Siri search the web for info on the World Cup games and send your friends a custom invite only using voice prompts.
Siri AI also gets a boost from Visual Intelligence, the company's technology that lets AI interact with images and videos. It also has improved personal context, which means it can use the info in your apps -- like calendar, mail and so on -- to customize its answers. Siri AI will only be available in English at launch, and it may not be available in the EU and China due to regulatory concerns.
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