Apple debuts Siri AI at WWDC as Tim Cook prepares to hand over the reins

On Monday, Apple held its annual Worldwide Developers Conference, in what was both Tim Cook’s last as chief executive and what analysts have dubbed the company’s most high-stakes showcase in years. At the event, Apple debuted a new and improved Siri—rebranded as Siri AI—as the company sought to answer mounting questions about its place in the AI race. The revamped assistant, which can draw on real-time information and personal device data, marks the company’s most significant AI push to date. The event comes at a pivotal moment for Apple. The company has been under pressure to stay current as other leading tech giants continue making gains in the AI space. Its first attempt at an AI offering—Apple Intelligence, released in Oct. 2024—was widely considered a misstep due to several feature delays and what was seen as over-promising on capabilities that were not ready for launch. In the run-up to WWDC, however, Apple has seen its shares approach record levels, lifted by continued iPhone sales strength and a January agreement to bring Google’s AI into its ecosystem. Perhaps most hotly anticipated among Monday’s updates were Apple’s new AI features, chief among them a new Siri. Apple says the revamped assistant, unveiled by Apple vice president Mike Rockwell, can understand personal context and what apps across a device can do, fulfilling improvements Apple first promised in 2024. Siri AI can draw on both real-time world knowledge and information stored on a user’s device. Apple says Siri AI is more conversational and allows users to go back and forth across multiple exchanges, receiving longer, more detailed answers. The new Siri will include a standalone app, which positions it to compete more directly with tools like OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Anthropic’s Claude. It also comes with new voices that are customizable. As Apple continues to carve it its identity in the AI race, the company was keen to differentiate itself fro