Consumer tech
Apple unveils 'Siri AI' and next-gen Apple Intelligence at WWDC
The smarter Siri is real, ships this autumn, and reportedly runs on Google's model. The brief.
The answer
Apple previewed 'Siri AI' at WWDC on 8 June 2026, shipping in iOS/macOS 27 this autumn.
What happened
At its 8 June WWDC keynote, Apple previewed Siri AI: a rebuilt assistant that understands personal context, reads what's on your screen, and takes multi-step actions across apps. It ships this autumn in iOS 27, iPadOS 27 and macOS 27 ('Golden Gate') — the full Apple Intelligence refresh. The keynote led with general software fixes before Siri, which is Apple's way of managing expectations after the 2024 promise that slipped.
Practical examples shown: add festival acts from an on-screen poster to your calendar; have Phone pull context from Mail during a live call; use on-screen awareness for visual questions. Hardware requirement: broadly iPhone 15 Pro or newer, iPhone 16 family, recent iPads and Apple Silicon Macs.
The catch — and who it affects
Reporting indicates Siri AI is built on a custom Google Gemini model, with Apple paying Google around $1 billion a year — an arrangement Apple has not confirmed publicly.
Three catches. The engine: reporting says Siri AI runs on a custom Google Gemini model (~$1bn/year to Google). Apple hasn't confirmed this, and it collides head-on with its privacy-and-integration positioning. Geography: no China at launch (regulatory review); EU launch limited to macOS and visionOS under Digital Markets Act constraints. Leadership: this was Tim Cook's last WWDC as CEO — John Ternus takes over on 1 September and owns the delivery.
Apple confirmed Siri AI will not launch in China initially and will be limited in the EU at launch — primarily macOS and visionOS — due to regulatory constraints.
Frequently asked questions
What is Siri AI in one line?
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Sources
- Apple unveils next generation of Apple Intelligence, Siri AI, and more — Apple, 8 June 2026
- WWDC 2026: Everything announced on Siri AI, iOS 27, Apple Intelligence, and more — TechCrunch, 9 June 2026
- Apple makes its big Siri AI reveal, changes Liquid Glass and more — CNBC, 8 June 2026