Apple has finally made its big move in the artificial intelligence (AI) tech race, unveiling a long-awaited reinvention of its Siri voice assistant.

Introduced on Monday at Apple’s annual Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) in Cupertino, California, the new Siri AI abandons stiff, preprogrammed responses in favour of fluid conversations powered by Google’s Gemini model.

The upgrade transforms Siri into an integrated companion capable of managing tasks across apps and maintaining continuous chat histories.

The tech showcase was the platform for Apple CEO Tim Cook’s final keynote address before he hands the reins to John Ternus in September.

“Apple wants AI to become part of the operating system, not a separate destination only available through an app. Siri is central to that ambition,” said Francisco Jeronimo, vice-president of client devices at International Data Corporation, a market intelligence firm.

Ternus would “inherit a company with one of the strongest hardware ecosystems in the world, but the next chapter will be defined by how intelligently that hardware works for users”, Jeronimo said.