Apple has introduced an updated version of Siri powered by Apple Intelligence, referred to as Siri AI.
The main technical changes include on-device processing for most requests, with Private Cloud Compute used for more complex tasks. Siri now has on-screen awareness, allowing it to understand and reference content currently displayed on the device. It also gains access to personal context, such as emails, messages, photos and calendar data, while keeping most processing on-device.
The new Siri can handle multi-step tasks across different applications and maintains better conversational context. A dedicated app has been added to review and manage past interactions. Additional improvements include enhanced summarisation of notifications and longer texts, as well as deeper integration with system apps.
Alongside Siri, Apple Intelligence brings several other updates. Writing Tools are now available system-wide for rewriting and summarising text. The Photos app includes a Clean Up feature and Image Playground for generating images. Safari gains better organisation through Topics and Notify Me functionality, while compromised passwords can now be updated automatically.
Most of these features are designed to run locally where possible, with Apple continuing to emphasise privacy through on-device processing and Private Cloud Compute.
How effective these capabilities will be in real-world use remains to be seen, particularly regarding consistency and reliability across different scenarios.
What are your thoughts on Apple’s current approach to on-device AI?