Apple's Siri gets AI upgrade, but the excitement feels muted

Apple finally released a generative-AI powered Siri as part of the iOS 27 beta in July, fulfilling promises of contextual understanding and broad knowledge access. Users can now converse naturally, adjust the assistant’s voice style, type queries, and reference past chats via a new app. Siri can locate personal items such as receipts or driver’s-license details stored as photos, launch apps, draft messages, and offer brainstorming help for topics like recipes.

The upgrade relies on Google’s Gemini AI models, which Apple re-engineered to operate on its own silicon and private cloud infrastructure. While the assistant now performs tasks that previously eluded it, the rollout feels anticlimactic because the AI field has moved ahead with more advanced agents and creative tools. General consumers will receive the update when iOS 27 ships publicly, likely in September.