Apple opens Siri AI beta as US-Iran Hormuz tensions flare

The biggest story in tech today is Apple’s long-awaited Siri overhaul. The company released the iOS 27 public beta, opening its AI-powered Siri to everyday users for the first time beyond developers ^[1]. With roughly 2.5 billion active Apple devices worldwide, the public beta instantly becomes the largest real-world test of Apple’s answer to ChatGPT, Gemini, and Claude ^[1].

The new Siri can read emails, photos, and messages on a device, respond to what is on the screen, and answer general-knowledge questions ^[1]. It is accessible via voice, the side button, a swipe down from the Dynamic Island, and for the first time, a standalone app ^[1]. Under the hood, Apple Intelligence runs on-device Foundation Models built for Apple Silicon and distilled from Google’s Gemini, plus Private Cloud Compute to keep personal data from being stored by Apple ^[1]. Early tests show it handling tasks like summarizing group texts and adding calendar appointments from messages, though the assistant still occasionally confuses queries ^[1]. A full public launch is expected in September ^[1].

While Silicon Valley pushes AI deeper into consumer devices, geopolitical risk is spiking in the Middle East. The U.S. military reimposed its blockade of Iranian ports on Tuesday after Iran attacked commercial ships in the Strait of Hormuz, unraveling the interim ceasefire deal signed in June ^[2]. The strait is a critical chokepoint: before the war, about one-fifth of globally traded crude oil and natural gas passed through it ^[2]. Tanker traffic has now slowed to a two-month low and oil prices have jumped sharply ^[3].

President Donald Trump initially threatened a 20% fee on all cargo moving through Hormuz, declaring the U.S. the “guardian” of the waterway, but reversed the plan hours before the blockade resumed ^[3]. He said Gulf leaders called to propose “massive” trade and investment deals with the U.S. instead ^[2][3]. Iran’s deputy foreign minister responded that the blockade decision “has, in a way, dismantled” the earlier truce ^[3]. U.S. Central Command said it carried out fresh strikes targeting Iranian coastal defenses, missile sites, and maritime capabilities, while Iran reported attacks on U.S. facilities in Bahrain and Jordan and hit two UAE-flagged tankers ^[2][3].

In other tech news, Google faces a new class-action lawsuit from major publishers and authors, including Hachette, Cengage, Elsevier, and Scott Turow, alleging the company used copyrighted works to train its Gemini AI models and removed copyright information to hide the practice ^[4]. The plaintiffs claim Google copied books provided for Google Books and titles uploaded to Google Play without authorization ^[4]. The suit was filed in New York, giving a different court a chance to weigh in after California judges recently sided with AI companies on fair-use grounds ^[4].

Together, the day’s headlines show AI advancing into everyday devices even as legal and geopolitical friction around the technology intensifies.