After more than a decade of memes, complaints, and unfulfilled promises, Siri is good. like Really good.
This is not just our view. Here’s the verdict from respected WSJ technology journalist Joanna Stern after spending a week with the new Siri AI in the iOS 27 beta. Her in-depth test (featured in the must-see YouTube video below) shows that Apple has finally realized its long-held vision: a conversational, context-aware, privacy-first digital assistant that actually understands you.
Game changer: Personal context + on-device intelligence
The new Siri AI features deep integration with personal data, all handled with strong privacy protections. Unlike its cloud-heavy competitors, which can be seen as generic, Siri can pull relevant information from messages, calendars, voicemails, photos, and more directly on your device.
Mr. Stern’s examples are convincing.
• During a beach trip, she asked Siri for ideas for souvenirs for her children “based on what she knows about them.” Siri recommended a reptile-themed toy – the information came directly from her message. When she followed up (“How did you know that?”), Siri clarified the source.
• Siri AI synthesizes data from your calendar, messages, and voicemail to suggest relevant work tasks for the day.
It’s not just a flashy demonstration, it’s personalized support that you can actually feel useful in your life.
Siri also demonstrated strong screen recognition, pinpointing locations in photos (quickly fixing them if needed), and providing helpful follow-ups like directions and nearby recommendations.
Real-world testing across everyday scenarios
Mr. Stern didn’t just ask scripted questions. She took Siri on a road trip to the beach, used it for shopping, food analysis (via camera for nutritional insights), split bills, and even tested its limits with personal/medical questions and a light-hearted attempt to make Siri her “girlfriend.”
Key takeaways from her test:
• informative and conversational — handles natural back-and-forth interactions much better than the old Siri.
• responsible guardrails — Politely decline medical advice or romantic advances (“I always thought of you as a friend”) and refer users to human experts if necessary.
• Privacy-first design — Use on-device processing for queries whenever possible, and use private cloud computing for more complex tasks. The relevant personal data will be transmitted only when necessary and then deleted. There is no long-term storage by Apple.
• Beta reality — Some lag, occasional errors, and slow responses are still present (as expected in early testing), but the core foundations are solid.
Here are Stern’s conclusions, shared in her video with X: “Siri is good. All good is good. After years of broken promises, Apple has rebuilt the foundation it needs for the future.”
She was impressed with how well Siri leveraged data within Apple’s ecosystem, and even considered switching to Apple Mail.
Official support from Apple
This isn’t just beta hype. At WWDC 2026, Apple officially introduced Siri AI, a more capable personal assistant powered by Apple Intelligence. It features natural conversations, understanding of personal context, on-screen awareness, extensive world knowledge, and the ability to take actions across apps. A dedicated Siri app lets you revisit conversations (synced via iCloud).
It is currently available in developer beta on iOS 27, iPadOS 27, macOS 27, and visionOS 27, with a public beta scheduled for later this year on supported devices.
why is this important
For years, Siri lagged behind Google Assistant, Alexa, and newer AI chatbots. More than just catching up, the new Siri AI leverages Apple’s unique strengths: deep ecosystem integration, on-device processing, and industry-leading privacy. Apple positions Siri as a trusted choice for everyday support by providing smart, context-sensitive help while keeping most of your sensitive personal data on your device.
Mac Daily News opinion: Stern’s week-long experiment proved that Siri AI is no longer just marketing. The reimagined architecture also works in real life, such as helping with souvenirs for the children, preparing for the day, and analyzing breakfast, all while staying firmly within responsible boundaries.
The old Siri is gone. The new Siri AI has arrived with great promise, but it’s still in beta. Our little birds, who have been saying for months that the new Siri not only works, but are actually pretty good, knew what they were talking about.
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[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “Fred Mertz” for the heads up.]
