Apple on Monday announced that a brand new Siri, its virtual assistant, is gaining the ability to speak more naturally and draw on users’ personal context, along with deep and advanced AI features, as part of a broader redesign unveiled at the Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) in Cupertino, California. With this all-new version of Siri, Apple is finally giving its 15-year-old virtual assistant a modern makeover, allowing it to better compete with AI-powered assistants such as OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Google’s Gemini.The world’s most powerful technology company also announced software updates that will impact billions of iPhones, iPads, Macs, and Apple Watches around the world, including new child safety features for parents who want to better track and monitor the smartphone and online habits of their children. However, it was Siri that many expected to receive a major revamp, highlighting how Apple is reimagining its products for the age of artificial intelligence as more people turn to chatbots and AI agents for everyday tasks. The launch of the all-new Siri, along with software updates and new developer tools, is widely seen as CEO Tim Cook’s final major public moments before incoming CEO John Ternus takes over the company. Two years ago, Apple announced at the 2024 Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) that it would bring artificial intelligence to its products through Apple Intelligence, a suite of AI-powered features. However, it soon became apparent that the company was not fully prepared to integrate AI, raising concerns that Apple had fallen behind in the AI race. Its long-awaited Siri overhaul has faced repeated delays, and several promised features have yet to arrive.The upgraded Siri could help Apple catch up with its competitors. At its developers conference, Apple demonstrated how the digital assistant will be able to handle multiple tasks with a single command and gain a dedicated app featuring a brand new interface, alongside several other improvements. The redesigned Siri, unveiled at WWDC 2026, features more natural conversations, deeper personal context awareness and enhanced AI capabilities across Apple devices. (Image: The Indian Express/ Anuj Bhatia)The new Siri is a part of Apple’s strategy to get deeper into AI. The company has developed a second version of Apple Foundation Models, which can understand speech, and read text and images.“We integrated our models deeply into our platforms, enabling a wide range of system-wide capabilities, and Apple Intelligence securely coordinates across them with a new system orchestrator,” said Craig Federighi, senior vice president of software engineering at Apple.Also Read | Apple WWDC Event 2026 Live Updates: Apple debuts new Siri, AI features, Child Accounts, macOS Golden Gate, and moreFederighi took a dig at other tech companies that seem to be “doing AI for the sake of it”. Apple’s software head argued that Apple Intelligence is more useful because it uses personal information and data.Story continues below this ad“Some appear to be racing forward, seemingly pursuing AI for the sake of AI, without clear regard to the people, all of us, that it’s ultimately meant to serve,” Federighi said.Apple is partnering with Google on the AI models that will power its new Siri, the companies announced in January. These models serve as the underlying technology behind the digital assistant’s capabilities.Investors and Wall Street will likely be watching closely to see how Apple’s partnership with Google Gemini to revamp Siri supports the company’s artificial intelligence strategy, at least in the near term. Although Apple still lags many of its peers in AI, ko it has a unique advantage in bringing the technology to mainstream regular consumers. This puts Apple on a different path from many of its rivals, even as the Cupertino-based company has been less aggressive in funding new data centres and developing its own frontier AI models. Instead, Apple has focused on on-device AI, privacy, and a more model-agnostic approach.In the long run, what investors are looking for—and what WWDC provides greater clarity on—is whether Apple Intelligence can become a driver of iPhone sales by giving consumers access to AI, regardless of which model they choose to use. For developers, it is also a test of whether Siri can become a platform in the AI era. However, this depends on third-party developers making their apps compatible with App Intents, Apple’s system that allows Siri to perform actions inside apps. Without developer support for Siri, it would be difficult for Apple to make a comeback in AI, especially when many of its current products and future lineup, including rumoured devices such as smart glasses, may not function properly if the company lacks a strong voice-first interface.Story continues below this ad Apple showcases its next-generation Siri at WWDC 2026, highlighting the company’s privacy-focused approach to artificial intelligence and deeper integration across its ecosystem. (Image: The Indian Express/ Anuj Bhatia)For many, this year’s annual developers conference is more than an AI demo – it is a countdown to show the industry that Apple has the developer support needed to back its AI ambitions. Apple has to convince the developer community that it is worth investing in a modernised Siri, but developers may take time to see whether consumers adopt Apple Intelligence. At the same time, developers may be hesitant to give Apple more control after years of disputes over App Store economics.The real test for incoming Apple CEO John Ternus is to convince Wall Street and developers that he understands how AI fits into the company’s long-term vision. Apple’s big opportunity remains its reach across more than 2.5 billion Apple devices in use globally, allowing it to bring AI to the masses, especially average consumers who may not have used artificial intelligence tools before. With Cook stepping down as CEO and transitioning into a new role as executive chairman of the board of directors later this year, Ternus is seen as the person who could make AI work for consumers.“Apple had to address its shortcomings in AI, and WWDC provided some answers,” said Ben Wood, Chief Analyst at CCS Insight. “The company must now prove that its privacy-led, integration-first approach can translate into a meaningfully better everyday experience, not just parity with its rivals. Whether it has succeeded will ultimately depend on user reactions once the new capabilities are in their hands.”Also Read | Why Apple’s AI strategy may be the biggest focus at its developer conferenceWood added that while many of the new AI-powered capabilities are similar to those offered by competitors, Apple has a strong track record of integrating such features in ways that make them more accessible to users across its tightly integrated hardware, software, and services ecosystem. He also noted that the company is clearly seeking to differentiate itself through its privacy commitments.Story continues below this ad“This looks like a step in the right direction, but there is no room for complacency, and Apple still has a long AI journey ahead,” he said.The writer is in Cupertino, CA, attending WWDC 2026 at the invitation of Apple.