Apple unveils revamped Siri with new features

For the past few years, Apple has been lagging behind in the AI race. But paradoxically, coming from behind might actually work in its favor. At WWDC on Monday, Apple is poised to reintroduce us to the revamped Siri, yet again. To refresh your memory, we first met this “new” Siri back in 2024, when Apple unveiled Apple Intelligence. That version came with a glowing border, fresh voice options, and the ability to hand off queries to ChatGPT. The truly intelligent features were promised as “coming soon.” They never arrived. In fact, Apple’s marketing around Apple Intelligence was so misleading that the company is now settling a class-action lawsuit, paying iPhone owners for features it never shipped. The ironic twist? By bungling the rollout so thoroughly, Apple may have accidentally stumbled into a stronger position.

Let’s be honest: if there were a race to build the ultimate AI assistant, Apple is losing badly. Gemini is already ordering Ubers and DoorDashing teriyaki. It scans your calendar and tells you when to leave for the airport. Gemini won the race, fair and square.

But there is a growing distrust of AI, especially among younger users. And the more capable Gemini becomes, the creepier it feels. It has to be intrusive to deliver on its promise of a truly helpful assistant. Wanting an AI to anticipate your next move is one thing; actually watching it happen is another. I willingly gave Gemini access to my Google Photos and Gmail, but it still makes my skin crawl when it says my son’s name out loud. I test these features as they roll out , it comes with the job , but the mainstream reaction when these tools become widespread will be very telling.

The new Siri will reportedly be built on top of Gemini in some capacity. Apple is undoubtedly paying a premium for that privilege, but there is a hidden upside to staying one step removed. Which major tech company hasn’t attached its name to a controversial, large-scale data center project? Apple. Google isn’t winning public approval by rushing to build massive data centers in neighborhoods across the country. Apple gets to keep its hands clean, even if its payments to Google are likely funding that exact infrastructure.

Then there’s the Copilot factor , the AI-buttons-everywhere problem. Siri’s attempts to summarize messages are amusing and often annoying, but at least Siri isn’t popping up in every work document begging to summarize it. On the flip side, you can’t open a Google app without seeing a Gemini sparkle, and that risks becoming exhausting very quickly.

Don’t get me wrong: Apple would love for Siri to write my emails, perfect my photos into “memories,” and guide me through reviving my dying houseplants. It just can’t do any of that yet. When we meet this Gemini-enhanced Siri, it will be revealing to see where and how aggressively it appears. According to Bloomberg’s reporting, we might see it in the Dynamic Island, Photos, and perhaps even its own dedicated Siri app for the first time. That’s a far cry from the timer-setting voice assistant we know today, which mostly stays out of sight.

Remember the tagline from Apple’s first attempt to launch an AI-powered Siri? Two years ago? Yeah, I don’t either.

I suspect Apple will also lean heavily into what it already loves to emphasize: privacy. Expect more talk about Private Cloud Compute, which supposedly keeps your data as secure as if it never left your device. The updated Siri may also offer the option to automatically delete chats after a set period, rather than holding onto data by default. Promoting a more private, secure AI experience could appeal to users wary of handing even more personal information to Google. But it doesn’t help someone who is simply tired of AI being shoved in their face in every piece of software.

An advantage, especially one you stumble upon, can vanish as quickly as it appeared.

Apple could easily frame its slow AI rollout as the more responsible approach. Google executives used to constantly talk about being “bold and responsible” with AI, but now they’re too busy launching new Gemini features and chasing the singularity to dwell on that. Passing off delays as taking the time to do things right isn’t a bad strategy, but the window for false starts is closing. Siri has to deliver for real this time. When a second chance like this comes around, you can’t count on getting another.