As part of the ongoing story, its most revolutionary capability may be what it doesn’t do – namely, it doesn’t try to be your buddy. After a couple years of false starts, the fresh AI-enhanced Siri has finally arrived on Apple devices via public beta.

As part of the ongoing story, i’ve been testing the fresh Siri (which goes into wide drop this fall once iOS 27, macOS 27, and the Apple’s other OS 27’s land) on my iPhone for the past few days, and I’m struck by how business-like it is.

In a fresh development, it’s not showering me with praise, nor is it needlessly trying to extend conversations. It just does what you ask it to do (well, aside from a few bugs), then gets out of the way. Saying “Here you go” after it completes a task is about as effusive as the fresh Siri gets. No, the fresh Siri isn’t curt or blunt, but it’s not trying to cozy up to me, either.

The report highlights that the revamped Siri can do some pretty cool things, from sifting through and organizing email to brainstorming ideas, putting them into a Notes file, and then tucking that file into any folder you see fit. Siri’s lack of suck-upage shouldn’t be confused with a lack of AI ability.

The report highlights that welcome to another edition of Prompt Mode, your weekly AI newsletter.

In a fresh development, each week on Prompt Mode, I’ll be serving up analysis of the AI trends that matter to everyday users like you and me. Stay tuned for practical AI tips, hands-on experiences with the most recent AI tools, and–you guessed it–prompts to help you get the most out of your AI assistants. I’m your host, Ben Patterson.

As part of the ongoing story, thanks for reading, and if you like what you see, just sign up right here.

Industry observers note that siri was able to pluck the info from my email and text messages, telling me where and when the meetup was, along with the teacher’s phone number. That’s the kind of practical, everyday AI help that I could really use. In another nifty example, I asked Siri about my daughter’s class field trip this morning.

As part of the ongoing story, the fresh Siri may be happy to help, but it’s not a friend, nor is it the star of the show. Most importantly, when I’m done with Siri, it disappears.

Industry observers note that they often feel like they’re trying to bond with us or even pass for human. Apple’s understated approach with Siri stands in stark contrast with what we’re seeing with ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini.

The report highlights that indeed, there was a report earlier this week that OpenAI’s rumored ChatGPT smart speaker is designed to “feel like a companion” and “connect on a humanlike level with users.” (OpenAI hasn’t commented on the report.).

In a fresh development, from what I’ve seen so far, it’s just a competent AI assistant. And that’s what it should be. The fresh Siri, on the other hand, doesn’t feel like a companion or confidant.

According to the latest update, sound familiar? It’s happened to me plenty of times, and while I appreciate Claude Code’s initiative, sometimes I’d rather talk things through first. So, you asked Claude Code to diagnose a bug in your fresh Windows app, and it just took off and started coding.

As part of the ongoing story, whenever I ask Claude Code, Codex, or Google’s Antigravity a question, but want to keep it from galloping ahead, I add this to my prompt: “Stay in pencil and paper mode.” It’s a handy way to keep Claude, Codex, and Antigravity in check, and it works for other applications besides coding, too. That’s where the “pencil and paper” prompt comes in handy.

The report highlights that want more next week? Don’t forget to sign up to start receiving this newsletter in your inbox. Thanks for reading the most recent issue of Prompt Mode.

As part of the ongoing story, his coverage of artificial intelligence interrogates the most recent LLMs, and how they can be used at work and at home to be best prepared for the AI revolution. “AI is going to change our lives sooner than we think,” Ben writes. “Our best way to adapt is by using it every day.” Ben has been a PCWorld author since 2014, and has covered everything from laptops to security cameras before launching PCWorld’s AI beat. Ben's articles have also appeared in PC Magazine, TIME, Wired, CNET, Men's Fitness, Mobile Magazine, and more. Ben holds a master's degree in English literature. Ben has been writing about consumer technology for more than 20 years, and now focuses his reporting on AI as it relates to the basic human experience.