Siri is finally good: Apple's assistant reborn with AI

What happened?

During WWDC 2025, Apple presented a massive update to Siri, now powered by the Apple Intelligence system. Early reviews, such as those from The Verge, agree that Siri has gone from a mediocre assistant to a surprisingly competent one. The new version better understands natural language, maintains context in long conversations, and can perform complex actions like editing photos or summarizing documents without losing track. According to The Verge's analysis, "there's not much in Siri AI that feels cutting-edge or completely new," but the improvement is so significant that "the wildest thing just happened: Apple released a new version of Siri and it actually seems pretty good."

The changes are not radical in terms of innovation — other companies like Google and OpenAI already offer similar capabilities — but the qualitative leap is enormous for Apple users. Siri can now, for example, remember information from a previous conversation and apply it to a new task, something previously unthinkable. In the episode of the podcast The Vergecast, David and Nilay discuss their first experiences with Siri AI and what it means for users and the rest of the AI industry that the iPhone's built-in assistant is good enough for most tasks.

Why is it important?

Siri had been the weak point of the Apple ecosystem for years. With over 1.5 billion active devices, any significant improvement has a massive impact. Additionally, Apple demonstrates that it can compete in the generative AI race without relying on third parties. Deep integration with hardware and the operating system gives it advantages in privacy and performance. Historically, Apple prioritized privacy over functionality, which limited Siri. Now, with on-device processing and more efficient models, it achieves a balance. This could accelerate AI adoption at home and work, especially among non-technical users.

For users, this means the assistant will finally be useful for everyday tasks: scheduling complex reminders, searching for information across multiple apps, or even helping draft emails. For the industry, it pressures Google Assistant and Alexa to innovate faster. The new Siri not only competes but sets a new standard in vertical integration and privacy, something its cloud-based rivals cannot yet fully match.

Consequences and context

Historically, Apple prioritized privacy over functionality, which limited Siri. Now, with on-device processing and more efficient models, it achieves a balance. This could accelerate AI adoption at home and work, especially among non-technical users. However, risks remain: accuracy in critical tasks (like sending messages) must be flawless. Additionally, reliance on recent hardware (compatible only with iPhone 16 and later) fragments the experience. According to The Verge, "Siri has spent a decade and a half somewhere between 'somewhat useful for some things' and 'totally disastrous, why did I even try?'" Now, the assistant seems to have taken a radical turn.

The historical context is key: Siri was launched in 2011 as one of the first voice assistants, but quickly fell behind Google Assistant and Alexa. Apple invested in AI startup acquisitions and neural chip development, but results did not materialize until now. The new Siri is the fruit of years of work on large language models (LLMs) optimized for mobile devices, as part of Apple Intelligence. This contrasts with Google's approach, which relies heavily on the cloud, and Amazon's, which has had profitability issues with Alexa.

"The new Siri is not revolutionary, but it is the first version that delivers what it promised back in 2011," notes The Verge's analysis.

What should readers know?

• The update is available on iOS 27, iPadOS 27, and macOS 26.
• It requires a device with an A18 or M4 chip.
• Apple Intelligence processes most requests on-device, improving privacy and speed.
• Advanced features (like document summarization) occasionally need an internet connection.
• The new Siri can handle complex tasks like editing photos, summarizing documents, and maintaining context in long conversations.
• According to The Verge, integration with the ecosystem allows actions like "find that photo I took at the beach last year" or "schedule a dinner for Friday and send the invitation to contacts."

In short, Apple has done its homework. Siri is no longer the embarrassment of the ecosystem, but a competent assistant that could change the perception of AI in daily life. The question now is whether Apple can maintain the pace of innovation and whether users will be willing to upgrade their devices to enjoy these improvements. With over 1.5 billion active devices, even a fraction of adoption would have a significant impact on the conversational AI market.