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Siri AI good.
I’ve been hesitant to say this over the past weeks of testing because, for 15 years, I’ve disabled Siri on my device iPhone. When the digital assistant first appeared on iPhone 4sI used to work at an Apple retail store in Chicago and remember seeing the potential of Siri. I envisioned being like Spock from Star Trek and asking questions to my iPhone, asking it to do tasks or find creative shortcuts to make my life easier.
Year after year, the basic functionality worked to some extent, but Siri’s full potential was never realized. Often times, when Apple makes an improvement or adds more capabilities, I turn Siri on again, only to be disappointed, and then disable it again.
Siri AI is different.
It’s much more than that Computer from Star TrekBut in 2026, this won’t be as impressive as it was in 2011, because other AI assistants like Gemini already have similar capabilities. The special feature of Siri AI is that it can access (once you sign up) email, photos, calendars, texts, notes, and more on your iPhone. It is also able to answer questions that you would typically search online or ask using another AI service.
In my testing, Siri AI excels at finding information, whether it’s buried in a text message thread or in a photo of food (it can tell me a food’s nutritional value from a photo). It’s talented at taking action on my behalf, like rescheduling an event without opening my calendar, or pulling up one of the 13,742 photos in my Photos app (don’t judge me) when I ask. While the old version of Siri showed web results for a topic, the new Siri explains and provides insight.
When I asked Siri if lettuce was safe to eat, he said yes, but warned of an outbreak of parasites linked to lettuce in the United States. I asked what happens if I get sick. “Although I’m not a doctor,” Siri began his response, “the most common sign is frequent watery diarrhea.” So, yeah, I don’t plan on buying lettuce any time soon.
These highly personal touches make Siri AI shine, especially compared to its previous dullness. I should note that I was using an early version of Apple’s enhanced Assistant as part of iOS 27 beta program preview. Siri AI will be released this fall with iOS 27.
Read more: Win a new Apple Watch in CNET’s big guessing game contest
Siri AI gets personal
Siri found a few photos (out of thousands) in my Photos app from a couple of years ago when I was in Paris. This is good!
The new Siri can do a lot, especially if what you need to do or what you’re looking for involves an Apple app. Below is a collection of my prompts and questions over the past month.
How many steps did you take today? Show Siri step count from the Health app.
Move my appointment to another day This worked like magic, and I even ruined the day when I submitted the prompt, and Siri was able to understand and follow up.
Show a picture of me in Paris. Siri found and displayed two photos of a trip you took to Paris in 2024.
Show a picture of me in Japan. This was a trick question because I’ve never done this before. But Siri showed me some photos of a sake bar at the Japan Center here in San Francisco, and noted that it couldn’t find any photos from Japan. I really liked this response because of its nuance.
Siri AI is able to respond with an accurate answer.
What gift should I buy my friend Mick? Siri suggested sneakers, such as yellow Adidas Superstars with black stripes. It looks like Siri got the information from a combination of message threads and notes I have with Mick. I asked my friend if she would be happy with this gift, and she said yes. Siri also recommended a cat treat, but Mick doesn’t have any. You may have misunderstood that when Mick and I had conversations with cats, those conversations were about my cats.
I feel sad. Can you show me some pictures of my own to cheer me up? Siri: “I’m sorry you’re feeling sad. Sometimes, looking back on good memories can help.” Then a preview of the Memories section of the My Photos app opened.
As long as it’s in an Apple app, like Messages, Photos, Calendar, Mail, or Notes, Siri can find it. In fact, after opting in to use Siri AI, my phone spent a few days cataloging all of its data, a bit like taking inventory at a grocery store. Apple said the indexing was because this was a developer beta. The more my phone is indexed, the more Siri can find and do.
If what you’re looking for is in a third-party app, like Gmail, WhatsApp, or Google Photos, Siri won’t be able to access it. At least not yet. Third-party app developers can add Siri AI support to their apps, so hopefully companies like Google, Meta, and others will do so in due course.
Watch this: iOS 27 has us excited about Siri again
Siri AI follow-up questions
Perhaps one of Siri AI’s best features is its ability to understand follow-up questions and prompts. Although it doesn’t quite reach Gemini’s levels of live chat — where questions and answers feel like dialogue — I did experience some deep, insightful ups and downs when pressed for more from Siri.
When is dinner at Liana? It was said Sunday night. I think she found an event on my calendar with her last name (I have her calling card too). When I asked Siri what I should bring, he advised me to contact Lianna. When I asked Siri what he would bring to a dinner party, he said wine, dessert, or candles. When I responded that Siri seemed to be a romantic at heart, she said, “I don’t really have feelings like anyone. I’m just here to help you get things done.”
How much RAM does my phone have? For some reason, Apple doesn’t share how much RAM its phones have, and Siri is towing the company’s line. Siri directed me to the Settings app to find the exact model I had (not sure why it didn’t tell me) and then recommended I search online for details about RAM. I stepped back and asked Siri to do the search for me, and it told me my iPhone 17 Pro Max has 12GB of RAM, citing Wikipedia. Why doesn’t it just tell me how much RAM my phone has without searching online?!
Siri’s global knowledge
Here’s the scoreboard graphic that popped up when I asked him about a World Cup match.
While Siri prioritizes local searches on the device, there are questions that need to be online to find the answer. These claims are sent securely to Apple’s private cloud account for encryption before Apple’s global knowledge enterprise models. Here are some highlights from using Siri AI Search. It does a lot more than just the “old” Siri, which only displays links to web results in a list.
Is lettuce safe to eat? Overall, yes, Siri said, but he cautioned about the ongoing cyclosporiosis outbreak in the United States. And yes, it was funny to hear Siri say “explosive diarrhea.” Patrick in middle school would have been proud. At the bottom of Siri responses is a tick icon and a number that says “Britannica +2” and when expanded shows source links to the CDC, Cleveland Clinic, and Britannica.com.
Why do stars twinkle? Siri explained how stars don’t actually twinkle and how it’s a scientific phenomenon called aeroluminescence, linking to articles from Space.com, CalTech, ScienceNewsToday, and Almanac.com.
What is the result of the England and Argentina match? Siri showed the scoreboard with the final score (the match had just finished) and said that “England lost 1 to 2 in the World Cup semi-final today.”
Who is Lynn Nottage? Siri: “Lynn Nottage is an American playwright and screenwriter and the first woman to win the Pulitzer Prize for Drama twice.” He cited Wikipedia among other sources. She asked follow-up questions about some of the plays she has written and whether there are any current productions of her work. Seery noted that there are two, including one currently on Broadway, MJ The Musical. But she couldn’t show me a trailer or preview and suggested I try YouTube or the play’s official website, which has exclusive clips.
What is the best place to get coffee near me? It showed a preview from Apple Maps of two nearby cafes that were open. There’s a third that closed earlier that day, but Siri didn’t include it.
Siri AI wants you to check important details
Like other AI assistants, Siri asks you to double-check the details of its responses.
Every response from your online search contains a disclaimer. “By the way, always check important details. As an AI, I might make mistakes.” It’s not always those exact words, but something similar. And yes, like other AI assistants and online search tools, not everything presented is true.
In his country iOS 27 previewmy colleague, CNET senior writer Zach McAuliffe, shares his frustrations with using Siri AI. When he asked: “What’s the news?” Show Siri events from the previous month. While the response was accompanied by a “fact-checked” disclaimer, McAuliffe questioned why he would use Siri if he had to do his own research anyway.
Siri AI is everywhere
Siri isn’t a nutritionist, but it can give you a general idea of how nutritious your food is.
Apple has kept Siri as smartly accessible as before while also integrating it in new ways. Most often, you activate it by long pressing the power button to start the query. You can also use a trigger word/phrase, “Siri” or “Hey, Siri.” Swiping down from the top of the screen also activates Siri, just as System Search previously appeared on the home screen. Navigating the Notification Center, Control Center, and searching via Siri AI from the top of the phone is a pain, and I still don’t have it built into my muscle memory.
The Camera app has a new Siri Mode, which is a repackaged version of Visual Intelligence. In the Photos app, you’ll find an Ask Siri button if you swipe up on the photo. For food photos, there’s a “Find Nutrition” button that opens the food’s nutritional value card. The nutrition facts label does not display calories and macros, but rather ranks the nutritional value from very low to very high.
Siri also appears in Messages if it detects data. My friend Celso messaged me about having a drink on Friday, and at the bottom of the message was a little calendar icon, which, when clicked, creates a calendar event based on the text.
The Shortcuts app also has Siri and can be used to create a new shortcut through a prompt. I haven’t explored this feature yet.
Siri AI, should you try it?
I’m glad I gave Siri a second (or third, or however many times over the past 15 years) chance. Siri AI feels different and really useful, and I’m excited to continue using it on my iPhone.
I can’t say I’ve been the most die-hard anti-Siri person before now, but Siri AI is useful enough that I keep it enabled on my iPhone. I think most people should try Siri AI. I remember when I was a kid and learned how to use keyboard shortcuts on a computer. I wondered why everyone didn’t use it all the time. It turns out that the benefits of Siri AI will never be known unless my fellow anti-Siri users try it. There will be people who left Siri years ago who will be more content to keep the digital assistant out of their lives.
McAuliffe believes it’s more trouble to use than it’s worth when searching online. But CNET senior writer Vanessa Hand Orellana, who is testing Siri AI on her Apple Watch, says this is a game-changer.
“I’m not going back to the old version anytime soon,” Hand Oriana said. “This is the first time I’ve intentionally wanted to use Siri on my Apple Watch.”
But what does Siri AI have to say to those who might be hesitant to try it?
“If you were frustrated that older versions misunderstood you or lacked context, the new Siri is designed to change that,” Siri answered. “Siri has been completely rebuilt to be more conversational, context-aware, and capable.”
