Some iPhone Owners Say Siri AI Is Far From Intelligent Now - Here's Why

It's no secret that Apple's Siri intelligent assistant finally received the Siri AI treatment with the iOS 27 update. On the surface, the change was seemingly meant to further enhance and personalize the user experience with new features like the ability to find and extract information from emails and texts, and a souped-up Photos app with improved editing tools. However, it looks like Siri's transition to AI may have been more to its detriment than to its benefit. It may not be the "profoundly more capable and personal assistant" Apple promised it to be.

Apple users with devices running iOS 27 may have noticed that, after manually enabling Siri AI in settings, the refreshed intelligent assistant may not have been as smart or helpful as advertised. The software, which at the time of writing is still in beta with no confirmed date for a full launch, has so far left users unimpressed by its apparent inability to accomplish some of its promised goals. 

"The other day I was grocery shopping and asked it to mark off certain things from my list (which it did)," one Redditor wrote. "I also asked it to list the remaining items. I got home and realized that it did not mention my entire list like I asked it and I tested it over and over and it gave the same half-right response." Some Reddit users complained about the new Siri's failure to complete simple tasks like turning on lights, reading messages without unlocking the user's iPhone, or even registering commands from users with specific accents. Other Reddit users, who preferred Siri's classic iteration, said they'd flock to other, possibly superior, AI chatbots and assistants for more specific or personalized tasks.

Users who've grown frustrated with Siri's AI glow-up, or are perhaps disturbed by its exorbitant, borderline invasive access to their personal data, will be delighted to know that they can revert their assistant to its original form, if they so choose. To do so, users will need to go into their Apple device's settings, turn off Siri, turn it on again, and select Siri Classic. That way, users can still enjoy and utilize Siri for its basic features without the AI add-ons. And if privacy is your main concern, there is a way to restrict Siri's access to your personal data.

Apple is also actively making improvements to Siri AI while it's still in beta. The iOS 27.2 update, for example, broadened its language support to include Spanish, Korean, French, Japanese, and Portuguese. Its memory was also fine-tuned to better remember users' preferences and past conversations and more accurately tailor its responses to them.

Siri AI was also revealed to be a feature included in Apple's new Apple TV 4K, which was unveiled in October 2026. Far-field microphones allow users to communicate with Siri hands-free, thus giving them the option to discover entertainment, receive in-depth information, and get personalized recommendations from the comfort of their seats. Hopefully the company will find a way to make the new Siri more functional before it gets its official release and is added to more products.