Features of the new iPhone Xs are seen during a launch of new products at the Apple Store in Sydney, Friday, September 21, 2018. The iPhone Xs Max, the biggest iPhone yet, as well as the iPhone Xs and Apple Watch Series 4 went on sale on Friday. [Photo Credit: AAP Image/Paul Braven]
One of the world’s biggest smartphone makers is finally entering its artificial intelligence era in a move analysts say could change the way Australians use the technology.
But Apple will have to prove its delayed, privacy-centric approach is just as good or better as that of its rivals, they warn, who have been winning over a loyal audience for years.
Apple revealed plans to launch an AI-powered version of its voice assistant at its Worldwide Developers Conference on Tuesday that will feature advanced skills, greater data access and a dedicated app.
The announcement comes two years after the tech giant announced a major overhaul for Siri at the same event, and after research from Telsyte showed more than 17.4 million Australians had embraced AI tools in everyday life.
The upgraded voice assistant, dubbed Siri AI, became the major announcement at Apple’s annual event, as the company revealed it would use an AI platform developed with partners Google and Nvidia.
Siri AI would hold more natural and expressive conversations with users, the company said, would recall past chats, and could access information from the web, a device’s screen or apps such as email, photos and messages.
The AI tool would process queries on the device or in a private server, Apple software engineering senior vice-president Craig Federighi said, to ensure greater privacy than some of its rivals.
“Some (firms) appear to be racing forward, seemingly pursuing AI for the sake of AI without clear regard for the people, all of us, that it’s ultimately meant to serve,” Mr Federighi said.
“We believe that truly helpful AI must be centred around you and your needs.”
Apple’s announcement could quieten criticisms of its slow AI adoption, CCS Insight chief analyst Ben Wood said, but its technology would need to work as promised.
“Apple had to address its shortcomings in AI and (the Worldwide Developers Conference) provided some answers,” he said.
“The company must now prove that its privacy-led, integration-first approach can translate into a meaningfully better everyday experience, not just parity with rivals.”
The change would boost Australians’ use of AI technology, Telsyte managing director Foad Fadaghi said, as the existing Apple assistant, which deferred advanced questions to ChatGPT, was already popular.
The firm’s study of more than 2000 people recently found 17.4 million Australians over the age of 16 used AI tools, up from six million in 2025.
Apple Intelligence ranked as the fifth most popular AI platform in Australia with 3.9 million users, and Mr Fadaghi said improving the technology would broaden its reach.
“It’s going to solidify its place as one of the most used AI by consumers,” he told AAP.
“They are playing catch-up and I think they’ve been forthright about saying that.”
OpenAI’s ChatGPT ranked as the most popular AI service in Australia, followed by Google Gemini and Meta AI.
