Apple’s long-awaited AI Siri overhaul is finally here

Two years after promising but failing to launch a smarter Siri, Apple unveiled its overhauled AI-powered assistant at its Worldwide Developers Conference, WWDC 2026, on Monday. The idea behind the new “Siri AI,” as it’s called, is to turn Siri from a voice-controlled assistant into an AI companion that can do a lot more. The new assistant will launch alongside a dedicated Siri app. The new Siri can draw on current world knowledge to ground its answers to your questions. The updated assistant will also be able to access information on a user’s device and respond based on what’s displayed on their screen. The tech giant is transforming Siri into a full-fledged conversational AI chatbot to take on popular platforms like ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini. The update marks a major change for Siri, which has until now been known as a voice assistant. When users ask for information, Siri will display text cards with results, like information from the web or details from text messages. The assistant has also been redesigned for modern iPhones, as it will live in the Dynamic Island. Currently, when you trigger Siri, your side of the phone’s screen glows. With the updated Siri, there’s a new animation in the Dynamic Island instead. Image Credits: Screenshot/TechCrunch The new “Write with Siri” option will let users get help writing text. When you write with Siri in Mail and Messages, the assistant can reflect how you usually communicate with a specific colleague or friend. …