Apple's AI strategy took center stage at its iPhone Duo event

Apple ( AAPL ) introduced its most anticipated and ambitious iPhone yet during a keynote at its headquarters on Wednesday: the iPhone Duo . But the event was just as much a showcase for the company's AI capabilities.

Apple has been criticized for being slow to adopt generative artificial intelligence, while rivals like Samsung ( 005930.KS ) have integrated the technology into their own devices and apps. But the company shot back during the Duo launch, presenting a slew of AI-powered capabilities for its iPhone, Apple Watch, and AirPod lines.

CEO John Ternus primarily focused on AI in his opening remarks, referring to the iPhone as an intelligent personal hub for users that "sits at the center of an amazing ecosystem of intelligent features and experiences that work seamlessly across the products you use every day."

That includes the company's generative AI-enhanced version of Siri called Siri AI. The improved personal assistant, which will launch in beta with iOS 27 on Sept. 14, is designed to pull information from across your apps when you need it.

Users can, for instance, ask Siri AI questions like "What was that game Michael told me about," and the assistant will search across your texts and emails to grab the information. Siri AI can also take advantage of your iPhone's camera to tell you more about the world around you and serve up "broad world knowledge."

The Apple Watch gets a lift from Apple Intelligence via Apple's redesigned Health app. According to the company, users can use their watch to take regular readings across categories, including their heart rate, sleep patterns, and workouts, and get personalized insights about their broader health.

A new Longevity tab provides a Health Age that indicates whether users' health readings are above or below their chronological age. An Insights tab, meanwhile, provides updates about your heart, sleep, vitals, and readiness ratings throughout the day.

The new AirPods 5 also get in on the AI action via Live Translation and the ability to chat with Siri AI hands-free.

Apple didn't just show off AI on the products it announced at the show; the company also provided demonstrations following the keynote of how its latest Mac mini and Mac Studio desktops fit into its AI strategy.

In one example, the company demonstrated how four Mac Studios can be linked to run 1 trillion-parameter AI models. In another demo, Apple ran two separate billion-parameter models on the Mac mini.

Both desktops are wildly popular among AI developers for their ease of use and ability to run models remotely without a display.