Apple unveils Siri AI upgrade ahead of beta launch
Apple announced a major overhaul of its Siri digital assistant, adding contextual understanding and new features, while analysts question its impact on device upgrades and revenue.
Apple said on Monday that its Siri assistant will receive a substantial artificial-intelligence upgrade, dubbed Siri AI, that is expected to enter beta testing later this year. The revamped assistant will be able to operate apps, analyse the iPhone’s screen to answer queries and incorporate personal context into its responses, the company said.
The announcement comes as Apple seeks to close a perceived gap with competitors such as OpenAI and Google, which have rolled out more advanced conversational models. Analysts noted that the update may help Apple generate additional iPhone upgrades, services revenue and new product opportunities, but they remain uncertain about the company’s ability to monetize the technology.
"Updates felt more evolutionary vs revolutionary, and we continue to view Apple as a laggard in AI with no killer apps and a questionable monetisation strategy," Barclays analysts wrote in a research note.
"Apple's announcements provided clearer paths to monetising AI, but the advancements will be a marathon, not a sprint," Morgan Stanley analysts added.
"I don't think AI is driving upgrade cycles in the way manufacturers were hoping," Paul Schell, senior analyst at ABI Research, told CNN.
"I'm looking for something, I'm replying to a text message, I'm trying to find the address of the restaurant that my friend mentioned last week — those kind of things," Carolina Milanesi, president of Creative Strategies, said of Siri AI’s intended use cases.
"It's going to be difficult for a user to migrate from iOS to Android, with the Siri AI model understanding you, and now your personal context, and all of the history," Nabila Popal, senior director at IDC, said.
Apple indicated that some new Siri AI functions, such as more accurate voice dictation and expressive voice customisation, will be limited to its latest high-end iPhones, while other features like expanded image generation limits will require an iCloud+ subscription. More than half of existing iPhones are not expected to support the full suite of AI capabilities.
The company positioned Siri AI as a tool for everyday tasks—searching for information, sending messages and navigating—rather than a productivity platform aimed at businesses. Apple has not commented on specific monetisation plans for the new assistant.