Apple launches new Siri AI with Google's Gemini, not in EU yet

Apple has released the next generation of Apple Intelligence with a completely rebuilt Siri, called Siri AI. It's available in beta from Monday, only in English, while French, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese and Spanish follow next month. The feature is part of the 2027 software: iOS 27, iPadOS 27, macOS 27, watchOS 27 and visionOS 27.

What's new about Siri is that it runs on models developed in collaboration with Google and builds on Google's Gemini technology. The models run partly on the device itself and partly through Apple's Private Cloud Compute, and Apple says personal data is neither stored nor made available to the company.

Siri AI gets personal context understanding across messages, mail and photos, on-screen awareness, broad knowledge from the web and expanded actions in apps. Apple gives the example of Siri finding a family recipe mentioned in a message and automatically adding the ingredients to Reminders. The assistant also works with third-party apps such as WhatsApp and Audible, and soon Outlook, Notability and Tripsy.

Siri can be summoned with "Hey Siri," the side button, the Dynamic Island, or via Spotlight on iPad and Mac. A dedicated Siri app is coming that syncs conversation history via iCloud, along with new voices and new dictation based on the on-device model AFM Core Advanced.

The update also includes a number of other AI features: Photos gets tools such as Spatial Reframing, Extend and an improved Clean Up, Image Playground can now create photorealistic images via Private Cloud Compute and will support SynthID labeling, Safari sorts tabs by topic, and Shortcuts can be described in plain language. Later this year, Audio Intelligence comes to the Apple Watch Series 12 and Ultra 4, along with a redesigned Health app.

Supported hardware includes iPhone 16 or newer, iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max, iPads and Macs with an M1 chip or newer, MacBook Neo, Vision Pro and Apple Watch Series 9 or newer.

Siri AI is not launching in the EU on iOS, iPadOS and watchOS for now. Apple says it is working on a solution that protects users' privacy and security. The feature is also not coming to China, while Apple works through local regulatory requirements. Certain server-side features have daily usage limits, and expanded access is expected to cost money later.

Mixed reviews

The first reviews are mixed. TechCrunch describes the new Siri as a step forward, especially for multi-step requests and on-screen context, although early developer builds had minor bugs. Six Colors calls the result largely a fulfillment of Apple's promises, but points to misunderstandings, hallucinations and at times intrusive writing assistance. MacStories is more critical, praising the screen understanding but reporting that Siri repeatedly failed with personal context even though the information was in the user's messages, and that some answers were outdated.

Other AI models behind Siri

At the same time, code findings in iOS 27 and macOS 27 (called Golden Gate) have revealed that Apple has built Siri's architecture to also work with AI models from third parties. A mechanism called Model Delegation can let Claude act as a Siri extension, just like the existing ChatGPT extension. In a demonstration, a user asks Siri to "ask Claude" to create a reminder, after which Claude interprets the request and hands the actual system action over to Siri. Claude could also solve tasks Siri can't handle itself, such as creating a CSV file.

Another protocol finding in Model Manager Services suggests that Apple's own server-side Siri model can be replaced entirely by another model, for example GPT-5.6. In the demonstration, the ChatGPT model receives Apple's Siri planning prompt and tool definitions, carries out system actions and delivers the answer through Siri's own interface and voice, including finding and summarizing emails and sending a message via the Messages app.

The EU's Digital Markets Act, which requires Apple to give third parties real access to the same iOS features as Apple's own services, may have helped shape this architecture. Right now, only the ChatGPT extension is active in the latest version of macOS 27, while Claude isn't yet available, and Apple hasn't opened the feature to third parties or made it visible to ordinary users.

For Danish AI users, this means first and foremost that the new Siri isn't coming right away, since the launch excludes the EU for now. When it eventually rolls out, both the early reviews and the code findings suggest that users may in the future get a choice between several AI models behind Siri, not just Apple's own solution built on Google Gemini.

What it means for you

If you're an iPhone user in Denmark, don't expect the new Siri right now, as it isn't rolling out in the EU for the time being. If you have an iPhone 16, iPhone 15 Pro or a newer Mac and iPad, it's worth watching for when the feature comes to Europe. Until then, you can keep using the ChatGPT extension in Siri if you want a smarter assistant right away.