Apple releases test of redesigned Siri AI before iPhone 18 hits stores this week

John Ternus, chief executive officer of Apple Inc., holds an iPhone Duo foldable smartphone during a product unveiling event at Apple Park in Cupertino, California, US, on Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2026. David Paul Morris | Bloomberg | Getty ImagesApple on Monday released a new version of the iPhone software called iOS 27, which includes the company's redesigned Siri AI personal assistant, before the latest iPhones hit store shelves this week.The new Siri AI is in beta, Apple said, and users have to opt in through the settings app, though they may have to add their names to the waitlist before getting access. Apple is positioning the forthcoming iPhone 18 models as ideal for artificial intelligence because of their speedy chips and the personal data such as calendars and texts that are stored on them."It's personal intelligence that's actually personal," Apple CEO John Ternus said at the company's iPhone launch event last week, his first since succeeding Tim Cook at the helm on Sept. 1. The "iPhone sits at the center of an amazing ecosystem of intelligent features and experiences that work seamlessly across the products you use every day," he said.Apple first revealed the Siri AI assista...