June 8 (Reuters) - Apple unveiled its long-awaited overhaul of Siri, introducing a new AI-powered version of the personal assistant alongside expanded child-safety tools and software updates across its ecosystem at its annual Worldwide Developers Conference on Monday.
Here are the key announcements from the event:
SIRI AI
• Apple introduced Siri AI, a new AI-powered personal assistant integrated with Apple Intelligence capabilities that can understand personal context, analyze on-screen content, search
the web, understand images and complete tasks across apps.
• The assistant is more conversational, allowing users to refer back to previous interactions and engage in extended exchanges.
• Apple also introduced a dedicated Siri app that lets users revisit conversations across devices and use visual intelligence and writing tools integrated throughout Apple's platforms.
• The company will launch a beta version of Siri AI later this year. It will initially not be available on iOS and iPadOS in the European Union. In China, Siri AI and the other new Apple intelligence features will not be available as Apple works through regulatory requirements.
APPLE INTELLIGENCE AND INTEGRATION ACROSS APPLE APPS
• Apple unveiled a new generation of Apple Intelligence built on updated Apple Foundation Models developed through a collaboration with Google's Gemini technology.
• The models run on users' devices and through Apple's Private Cloud Compute infrastructure, enabling improved reasoning, image understanding and image-generation capabilities.
• Apple also emphasized its privacy-first approach, saying user data processed through Apple Intelligence is not stored or accessible to the company.
• The company is integrating Apple Intelligence across apps, including Safari, Messages, Mail, Calendar and Phone, enabling features such as automatic tab organization, webpage monitoring, natural-language event creation and contextual assistance during calls.
• Apple Intelligence is also being added to the Home and Shortcuts apps, enabling AI-generated summaries of security camera footage, natural-language search of recorded clips and the creation of automations through simple text prompts.
CHILD SAFETY FEATURES
• Apple introduced enhanced child accounts that automatically enable age-based safeguards, including restrictions on adult websites, age-appropriate media and App Store content. Parents can also limit children to only approved apps.
• The company added an "Ask to Browse" feature that requires children to seek parental approval before visiting new websites.
• Communication Safety has been expanded to warn children and blur images and videos containing gore or violent content, building on existing protections for nudity.
• Parents can set schedules for app access, manage screen-time allowances and monitor how children use their devices.
IMAGE PLAYGROUND AND AI PHOTO EDITING
• Apple unveiled a revamped Image Playground that can generate photorealistic images from text prompts, transform photos into different styles and create images using people from a user's photo library.
• The company also introduced new AI-powered photo editing tools, including an upgraded Cleanup feature, an Extend tool that expands image boundaries, and Spatial Reframing, which allows users to adjust a photo's composition after it has been taken.
LIQUID GLASS
• Apple expanded customization options for its Liquid Glass design with new controls that allow users to adjust its appearance.
• The company also redesigned app icons with additional Liquid Glass layers, which it said make them appear sharper, more defined and visually distinctive.
(Reporting by Harshita Mary Varghese in Bengaluru and Juby Babu in Mexico City; Editing by Leroy Leo)
