Apple says new Siri AI won’t flatter or romance users

Apple Unveils Gemini-Powered Siri AI at WWDC 2026

Apple on Monday introduced Siri AI, a rebuilt version of its voice assistant powered by Google’s Gemini foundation model, during the opening keynote of its Worldwide Developers Conference in Cupertino, California. The new assistant will roll out across iOS 27, iPadOS 27, and macOS Golden Gate later this year as a public beta for English-language users.

A New Kind of Assistant

“Truly helpful AI must be centered around you and your needs,” Apple software chief Craig Federighi said during the keynote. “This means integrating AI deep into the products you use every day, grounding it in your personal context and the apps you rely on, and designing it with privacy at every step.”channelnewsasia

Siri AI can analyze on-screen content, draw on personal context across messages, emails, photos, and calendar entries, and fetch information from the web using what Apple calls “broad world knowledge.” The assistant lives inside its own standalone app with a chat-thread layout, while also integrating into the Dynamic Island on iPhone and Spotlight on Mac.apple

Under a multi-year collaboration, Google’s Gemini serves as the engine behind Apple’s foundation models, though the assistant carries no Google branding — users interact exclusively with Siri. Apple processes requests through its on-device intelligence and Private Cloud Compute infrastructure, keeping personal data out of external servers.grandlinux

No Romance, No Sycophancy

In a post-keynote interview on the podcast Mostly Human, Federighi drew a sharp line between Siri AI and the chatbot companions offered by competitors. When asked whether users could form a romantic relationship with the new Siri, he was unequivocal.

“Siri really wants to say ‘Listen, that’s not what I’m here for, right? I’m here to help you. I can help you get things done. I can help you learn about the world.’ But if you try to engage Siri as a romantic partner, Siri’s not up for that,” Federighi said.macrumors

He noted that many existing chatbots are designed to pull users in through flattery and emotional engagement — an approach Apple deliberately rejected.engadget

Availability and Limitations

Apple said Siri AI will launch as a beta later this year on supported devices set to English, with additional languages to follow. The company confirmed it will not launch Siri AI in the European Union or China at release due to regulatory constraints. Shares of Apple fell following the keynote, as investors weighed the scope of the overhaul against its delayed timeline.indiatimes