Hands-On With Siri AI: It Actually Works

While its capabilities may appear fundamental, the consistent functionality of Apple's latest AI-powered Siri represents a significant milestone.

For many parents, the ultimate desire from an AI assistant is singular and practical: the ability to seamlessly transfer event details—such as soccer game schedules or "spirit week" themes—from an email or a poorly formatted flyer directly onto their digital calendar. iPhone users will be pleased to learn that the upgraded Siri can now reliably perform this much-requested task.

Following an initial, less successful foray into AI-driven Siri, Apple is making a renewed effort. The enhanced Siri AI is now capable of engaging in conversational queries, such as diagnosing potential issues affecting garden roses, compiling comprehensive shopping lists for hardware stores, and setting reminders for tasks like composting flower beds. It can intelligently draw upon information from your email and calendar to offer pertinent recommendations or provide genuinely helpful responses to questions like, "When should I depart for the airport?" Crucially, it can indeed add multiple events from an email directly to your calendar. Personal testing has confirmed the efficacy of these scenarios, indicating that this iteration of AI Siri is genuinely functional.

However, it is worth noting that this suite of features remains relatively basic for an AI assistant in 2026, especially when benchmarked against Gemini's advancements on Android over the past couple of years. Google's chatbot has offered the ability to add multiple calendar events from a screenshot for at least a year, and has been diagnosing plant ailments and scheduling maintenance reminders for several months. Given that the new Siri is built upon Gemini models, it is understandable that its initial AI iteration bears a resemblance to "Gemini, circa 2025."

Despite its foundational similarities, Siri AI possesses its own distinct character. Apple incorporates a substantial amount of proprietary technology both on-device and within its cloud infrastructure. It leverages an on-device data pool, intelligently gathered from sources like emails and messages. This information is meticulously indexed, allowing Siri to access relevant details precisely when needed. Prompts that cannot be fully processed on the device are securely routed to Apple’s Private Cloud Compute, with only the essential, relevant personal data attached. Gemini, conversely, manages personal context through an opt-in system where users grant access to their Gmail or calendar, allowing the assistant to directly query those sources as required.

The effectiveness of Siri AI hinges significantly on its ability to comprehend context, and thus far, it performs admirably. When queried about the return date for camera equipment rented for WWDC, Siri successfully retrieved the information from both a created calendar event and an email (it's due back Friday, for the record). Similarly, prompts such as "add these events to my calendar" consistently trigger Siri to reference and process the information displayed on the screen. This contextual understanding has proven reliable.

During testing, Siri exhibited robust guardrails, refusing to engage with any "shady" prompts by responding with a concise "I can’t help you with that." While not a comprehensive stress test, this indicates strong ethical boundaries. As a conversationalist, the new Siri appears somewhat more dispassionate than Gemini. When both were asked why flowers in front of a house were wilting, both provided detailed responses outlining potential causes. However, Gemini's response began with an empathetic "That is incredibly frustrating…," whereas Siri adopted a more direct approach, immediately proceeding with diagnostic information.

The new Siri also demonstrated competence in handling follow-up requests. When asked to recommend a garden center "near home," it provided a suitable suggestion. Furthermore, it successfully created a new reminder list with checklist items for a garden rehabilitation project and added a corresponding calendar event, all from a single prompt. While these functionalities might seem straightforward, their consistent execution marks a significant advancement for Siri, representing a culmination of years of development.

The new Siri is integrated prominently across the iPhone interface. Users who habitually swipe down on the homescreen to access apps via search will now encounter a clear "search or ask" prompt with a glowing, blinking cursor. Additionally, a long press of the wake button now summons Siri from the Dynamic Island, rather than displaying it as a glowing border around the screen. These design changes collectively contribute to a subtle yet pervasive sense that Siri is always readily accessible.

This enhanced integration fosters a continuous feeling of proximity to Siri.

This iteration of Siri feels like the AI assistant meticulously crafted with an unwavering commitment to reliability. While its feature set remains relatively basic—it won't be DoorDashing burritos for you—it consistently delivers on its advertised capabilities. For a company that made ambitious Siri promises two years ago that ultimately went unfulfilled, this consistent functionality is a monumental achievement. "It works" and "It will actually ship to customers" were the critical targets Apple had to hit. Although currently in developer beta, this version is demonstrably more tangible than the initial AI Siri showcased at WWDC. Apple critically needs this version of Siri to rebuild user trust, and based on initial observations, it represents a significant step in that direction.