Apple unveiled its long-delayed AI-powered version of its Siri digital assistant at its annual Worldwide Developers Conference yesterday in Cupertino, California.
The new Siri AI will exist within Apple’s software ecosystem but also as a standalone app.
Siri AI will launch in beta later this year, but it will not launch in the European Union or China initially.
In a statement, Apple said the Siri AI launch delay in the EU was due to disputes with European regulators over how the landmark Digital Markets Act applies to Apple’s AI capabilities.
The underlying architecture of the new Siri is the result of Apple’s partnership earlier this year with Google. The new features will launch in English with other languages to come.
The Siri updates were just one part of the bevy of AI-enabled features Apple plans to roll out as part of its overhaul of Apple Intelligence, including the ability for iPhone to gather context during calls, reposition the framing of photos after they’ve been taken, and recognise faces with home cameras.
Apple said some of the new AI features will have daily usage updates.
After encountering product development delays, Apple reached a deal in January with Google to have Gemini power Siri’s artificial intelligence capabilities.
“We’re excited to introduce Siri AI, a dramatically more capable and conversational assistant designed to help users find information and get things done throughout the day,” said Craig Federighi, Apple’s senior vice president of software engineering.
“With access to broad world knowledge for up-to-date answers on virtually any topic, along with onscreen awareness and personal context understanding, Siri AI can help users take action across apps more naturally than ever.”
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