Conclusion
A question loomed large over Apple ahead of WWDC three months ago:
Will they deliver on AI and make good on the new Siri they promised two years ago and never shipped?
Three months later, we have our answer: they did, and the new Siri AI actually works and is useful. This is not to say that it is perfect. Siri AI is a limited rollout in a single language, with no availability in the EU; it’s based on Foundation models that are still behind the current state of frontier AI; and it’s predicated upon the assumption that third-party developers will put in the work to support the architecture Siri AI requires.
Despite these limitations, it’s undeniable that Apple’s entry into the AI assistant space feels like someone finally designed a chatbot for how normal people use their phones. As a power user, sure, I would have liked to see more features and options. But I also have to remember that starting from advanced users is not how Apple operates. Siri AI is an assistant designed around the iPhone and iPad, built to take advantage of their app ecosystem. It could have been a chatbot bolted onto the OS, and perhaps some would have been happy with it. But Apple went in a different direction.
In my career at MacStories, I’ve never witnessed a topic as divisive as AI and what it’s doing to the tech industry right now. We have been critical of certain aspects of AI over the years, and we’ve championed others that are fundamentally changing what we do on our computers – and what the computer is supposed to do for us. In a world of hot takes and extremist positions around this topic, I choose to remain pragmatic and optimistic. And I choose to believe that there’s still room for nuanced takes on AI that put our readers and developers first, so we can explain what’s useful about it, and what’s possible to build with it.
With that in mind, this is how I plan to explore the potential of Siri AI over the next few years. Apple’s new assistant is making a strong debut in iOS 27, powered by excellent integrations with native apps, a solid balance of speed and privacy, and a pervasive intelligence that is only made possible by Apple’s interplay of hardware and software. Time will tell if millions of consumers will find Siri AI to be a compelling alternative to ChatGPT, but I think Apple is making something else very clear with iOS 27, the iPhone 18 Pro, and the iPhone Duo:
Artificial intelligence is here to stay on Apple platforms, and it’s going to reshape our relationship with the company’s devices. You can disagree with it, but you can’t ignore it. I want to understand Siri AI, because we need more companies that give a damn about design, app developers, and privacy in the AI world.
Because, after all, I still love writing about a company that, against all odds, is hungry and foolish enough to try something new.
