Apple unveils an upgraded Siri voice assistant with new AI features

Apple announced AI-driven enhancements to its Siri voice assistant at its annual World Wide Developers Conference (WWDC) in Silicon Valley on Monday, marking a major push to modernize the platform. The upgrades emphasize privacy by processing requests on users’ devices or privately in the cloud, leveraging Google’s Gemini AI model to power Apple Intelligence features. Siri’s capabilities now include generating menus from web searches or messages, identifying objects in photos or on-screen (such as flight-compatible luggage), and adjusting photo framing after capture. The company highlighted practical applications over speculative AI trends, positioning Siri as a tool for daily tasks like organizing a World Cup viewing party or analyzing food nutrition. Apple also unveiled improvements to its AI photo tools, including spatial reframing for post-capture adjustments. A standalone Siri AI app is planned for later this year but will exclude Europe and China due to regulatory hurdles. CEO Tim Cook delivered his final WWDC keynote before retiring in September, passing leadership to John Ternus, who has led Apple’s hardware engineering for five years. Cook’s 15-year tenure saw Apple’s market value grow by over $4 trillion, though the transition coincides with industry-wide AI disruption. Ternus did not address the audience directly, leaving Cook to emphasize Apple’s privacy-centric approach to AI. The conference focused on software updates, contrasting with Apple’s fall hardware reveals. Software chief Craig Federighi criticized competitors for prioritizing AI without user-centric design, stressing Apple’s integration of AI into existing products. Developers from 65 countries attended, underscoring the event’s global relevance amid Apple’s AI catch-up phase.