Apple finally brought AI to Siri, but the launch feels anticlimactic

Apple has finally brought the long-awaited AI-powered version of Siri to the public beta of iOS 27, which has been available since July. The assistant now does what the company originally promised: it understands the user's personal context, draws on broad world knowledge, and finds relevant information stored on the iPhone.

Still, the arrival feels anticlimactic, according to TechCrunch. While Apple was dragging its feet, the AI race moved forward significantly. AI tools now write code and build software, AI agents handle multi-step tasks, and AI systems work alongside people, using their computers to reason, remember, and create content. A chatbot or helper that merely functions no longer feels like the breakthrough it would have been years ago.

But the new Siri is undeniably useful. It supports natural back-and-forth conversations, with settings to adjust how expressive or fast the voice replies are. Users can also type to the assistant or download a dedicated app that keeps a history of past conversations. Siri understands personal context, helping locate photos, emails, contacts, messages, or calendar events, even when the user is not sure what exactly they are looking for or where it is stored.

For example, Siri can find the last receipt saved on the iPhone without being told where the file is or what it concerns. It can also read the number from a photo of a driver's license or recognize a QR code in a screenshot and use it to open a website. The assistant can launch websites and apps, provide directions, play music, edit photos, draft emails, and handle audiobooks. It now consistently plays the requested song, podcast, or audiobook on the user's preferred app — a basic task it previously often failed at.

Siri can also act as a brainstorming partner, helping refine ideas, explore new topics, and suggest recipes using ingredients the user has in the fridge. It answers questions about upcoming concerts and events based on location, and it can work through the Camera viewfinder to identify real-world objects or split a restaurant bill.

These improvements rely on Apple's partnership with Google and its Gemini AI models. Apple used Google's technology to train and refine its own proprietary Apple Foundation Models, which run on Apple Silicon and the company's Private Cloud Compute infrastructure.

Although the company finally delivered a functional version of Siri, TechCrunch argues the result feels more like fixing a longstanding bug than launching a revolutionary product. General users will get access when Apple officially releases iOS 27, expected in September.