Apple AI Just Got a Huge Overhaul at WWDC 2026. Here’s the Lowdown

Source Domain: www.cnet.com

Apple’s WWDC 2026 had its biggest moment yet for artificial intelligence. And that includes the software conference two years ago when the company first dropped its AI, named Apple Intelligence.

The WWDC keynote, kicked off by outgoing CEO Tim Cook, aimed to fulfill many of the promises the company has made about its AI. The biggest news is about the emergence of the smarter, AI-enabled Siri.

All of these updates will be available with the next generation of Apple software, most prominently in iOS 27. The iPhone software is expected to be widely released this fall, after the beta versions go out this summer. You’ll need an iPhone with the necessary computing juice that can run Apple’s AI, so iPhone 16 models or newer will be compatible, along with a couple of iPhone 15 Pro models.

Watch this: Everything Apple Unveiled at WWDC 2026

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Siri, Siri and more Siri

Siri is the cornerstone of the new Apple Intelligence, wherever it appears in Apple’s apps and devices. Apple has been promising to use AI to make a smarter Siri since it launched Apple Intelligence back in 2024. And it’s paid the price for its delay, including a $250 million court settlement announced last month. Now, we finally have a clear picture of what Apple’s AI-enabled assistant will be able to do — even if we don’t yet have a solid launch date beyond “in beta later this year.”

For starters, even the name is changing: Meet the new Siri AI. This version comes with its own app and new customizations, including new voices you can choose from. Siri AI will be in your iPhone, Mac, Watch, CarPlay and even in your AirPods.

“This is very much the Siri that Apple first hinted at two years ago, but this time fully realized,” CNET’s Principal Writer Katie Collins reports. “But the real test — whether it meets the expectations of people dreaming of a true digital personal assistant — is still to come.”

Siri AI is more conversational. It remembers what you asked it previously, so you can…

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