Apple revamps Siri with personal context and privacy to challenge AI rivals

Apple says its revamped Siri AI is designed to compete by doing two things rivals struggle to match: drawing on a user’s personal context and keeping privacy protections at the center of the experience, according to IDC and Apple’s WWDC announcements. The company unveiled the new assistant as part of a broader artificial intelligence push, while also acknowledging that the rollout will not be universal at launch.

At WWDC, Apple introduced what it called Siri AI, describing it as a more conversational assistant that can handle follow-up questions, understand what is on the screen, and take actions across apps. Apple said the system uses Apple Intelligence and, in some cases, private cloud processing to deliver more advanced capabilities while maintaining its privacy approach. The company also said the assistant will be integrated into a wider range of experiences, including Camera and Shortcuts, as part of a broader redesign of its software ecosystem.

IDC Senior Research Director Nabila Popal said Apple’s approach gives Siri AI two important advantages over competing models: access to personal context and a strong focus on privacy and security. Popal said Apple has caught up on its AI strategy this year and that the new features should improve the user experience, according to Bloomberg’s reporting.

The launch comes after Apple delayed its Siri overhaul, a rare move that raised questions about how quickly it could keep pace in the AI race. That caution appears to have shaped the company’s WWDC message, which focused less on flashy promises and more on showing how the assistant fits into everyday tasks such as summarizing information, helping in Photos, and building workflows from natural-language prompts. Bloomberg reported that investors responded with a lukewarm reaction, suggesting the market is still waiting to see how well the new platform performs in practice.

Apple is also navigating pressure from regulators. Bloomberg reported that the company said it cannot currently launch Siri AI on iPhones, Apple Watches or iPads in the European Union, blaming a standoff with antitrust regulators. That leaves one of Apple’s biggest markets outside the initial rollout, even as the company pushes ahead elsewhere.

The new AI push also extends beyond Siri. Apple announced new AI-driven features for Photos, Safari, Shortcuts and parental controls, and it said it is waiving cloud API costs for smaller developers to encourage experimentation with its tools. TechCrunch reported that the strategy reflects Apple’s belief that cheaper AI access and tighter integration across its devices can help win developers and users even as rivals continue to spend heavily on model development.

For Apple, the broader significance is that Siri is no longer being positioned as a standalone voice assistant, but as the front end for a much larger AI system woven into the iPhone, iPad and Mac. Whether that advantage proves durable will depend on how well the new features work in daily use, how quickly Apple expands availability, and whether users trust the company’s privacy claims as the assistant becomes more capable.