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Apple CEO Tim Cook speaks at Apple Park in Cupertino, California, during the Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) 2026 on June 8 (local time). / EPA-Yonhap News

Apple has unveiled a newly enhanced “Siri AI,” powered in part by Google artificial intelligence technology, as it steps up efforts to strengthen its competitiveness in the AI race.

The upgrade places a strong emphasis on privacy while transforming Siri from a simple voice assistant into a full-fledged AI companion, drawing significant attention across the tech industry.

According to Wall Street Journal, Apple introduced its next-generation AI platform, “Apple Intelligence,” at the Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) 2026 held in Cupertino, California, on Monday (local time), alongside a major overhaul of Siri.

The new Siri AI is designed to understand a user’s personal data, including messages, emails, photos and calendars, and can also interpret on-screen content and web search results to generate responses.

It goes beyond basic question-and-answer functions and is now capable of performing real-world tasks such as scheduling appointments, setting reminders and retrieving information.

The assistant has evolved from a traditional voice-based tool into a chatbot-style service similar to ChatGPT or Google’s Gemini, supporting both voice and text input, with conversation history stored in a dedicated app.

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Attendees watch Apple’s presentation during the Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) 2026 at Apple Park in Cupertino, California, on June 8 (local time). / AFP-Yonhap News

Users can revisit past conversations and continue interactions across multiple Apple devices, further strengthening continuity and cross-device integration.

The Siri AI has also evolved into a standalone app, enabling more natural conversations and writing assistance, as well as introducing “visual intelligence” features. The visual intelligence function is integrated with the iPhone camera app, allowing users to point their device at objects to analyze information such as nutritional data from food or automatically calculate expenses from receipts and process payments instantly via Apple Cash.

Apple emphasized that the new Siri AI architecture is designed so that neither Apple nor any third party can access or store user data, underscoring privacy as a core priority.

Parental control features have also been significantly strengthened. Parents can now manage apps, contacts and content types used by children in greater detail, with automatic intervention when explicit or violent content is shared.

A redesigned interface also allows parents to monitor device usage and key apps at a glance.

The Siri AI was released in developer beta immediately, with a public beta scheduled for next month. A full release for general users is planned for this fall.

                                                                                                            Park Jin-sook