I put the new Siri AI through a 10-round test on my Mac - here's how it did

Follow ZDNET: Add us as a preferred source on Google.ZDNET's key takeawaysSiri AI is available by waitlist on supported beta device.It's more useful than old Siri, but still makes mistakes.Apple needs to improve accuracy and conversation flow.As an iPhone and Mac user, I've often complained about the many faults and flaws of Siri. That's why I've been anxious to check out the new Siri AI that Apple touted at WWDC 2026 earlier this month.Also: Apple's new Siri AI comes with hidden costs that power users should know ofAvailable by waitlist for supported devices with the 27 developer beta, the new Siri promises to be more conversational, more responsive, and less error-prone. Is that the case? That's what I wanted to find out. To try the new Siri, you need to surmount a few barriers. How to join the new Siri waitlist on a MacFirst, your iPhone, iPad, or Mac not only needs to support version 27 of its respective OS, but also must support Apple Intelligence. To see which devices fit the bill, check out my story "Will your iPhone support Siri AI? The answer is complicated." Second, you need to install the developer beta. Since these types of betas can be unstable, I strongly advise installing it on a spare device, not your main or go-to one. I have a spare iPhone 15 Pro and a spare MacBook Air M1 that I use for this kind of testing. Also: How to try the new Siri AI - join the waitlist todayThird, you'll have to join a waitlist. For that, go to Settings (System Settings on a Mac), select the setting for Siri, and then tap the button for Turn Siri On. A message will tell you that you'll be notified when the new Siri is available for your device. And then be prepared to wait. I joined the waitlist on my iPhone last week and am still waiting. On my Mac, though, I was able to get access without waiting too long. And that's where I've been trying out Siri AI to see how it performs. If your Mac meets all the criteria, you can access Siri AI a few different ways, including the new dedicated Siri AI app. How to use the new Siri on a Mac If voice activation is enabled, just say "Hey Siri" or "Siri" and start speaking your request. Alternatively, click the Siri AI app icon on the Dock. The Siri AI app then pops up, letting you type or speak your request. Also: Everything announced at Apple WWDC 2026 - including Siri, iOS 27 dev beta, and morePress the Command key twice, and a small text window appears in which you can type your question to Siri. Press the Command key and the spacebar to launch the familiar Spotlight search window, only now you can search by asking Siri to find something. Right-click on a window or other item, and the pop-up menu includes an option to Ask Siri. To put Siri AI through its paces, I posed general and specific questions, told it to find certain files on my computer, and tried to engage it in back-and-forth conversations. How I tested the new Siri on a Mac Along the way, I wanted to see if the new Siri could avoid the pitfalls of the old Siri. Keep in mind that this is an early flavor of Siri AI courtesy of the first developer beta, so there are bound to be bugs in it. But Apple still has several months to fine-tune it in time for its expected public release in September. Also: The two biggest iOS 27 features at WWDC for me had nothing to do with Siri AIHere are the questions I asked, the conversations I kicked off, and how Siri AI responded. Overall, I certainly found the new Siri AI an improvement over the old Siri. But I was disappointed by the incorrect or inaccurate answers it gave me. Plus, engaging in a back-and-forth conversation was clumsier than it should be.But again, this is just the initial version of Siri AI in the first developer beta. Clearly, Apple has much more work to do before Siri AI is ready for the public. And, despite the hiccups, I think it's off to a promising start.