The news: Apple is in talks with OpenAI and Anthropic to power a revamped version of Siri, per Bloomberg.
This follows internal delays and setbacks in launching the AI-enhanced Siri that was announced at WWDC in June 2024. Despite showcasing a smarter assistant last year, Apple postponed its rollout to 2026.
Apple considering Anthropic’s or OpenAI’s large language models (LLMs) to power Siri on Apple’s Private Cloud Compute infrastructure marks a major shift from Apple’s usual in-house-first approach.
What this means for Apple: Turning to a third-party provider to supply generative AI (genAI) that will be used in its products and services indicates that even the world’s most valuable company is struggling to build competitive AI.
Like Microsoft with Copilot, Apple may lean on OpenAI—but unlike Microsoft, it lacks ownership or oversight over the tech.
Third-party AI weakens Apple’s control and exposes users to outages. It also risks consumer pushback should it decide to charge for the features—half of smartphone users won’t pay extra for AI, per CNET.
What this means for AI partners: Powering Siri means massive adoption for AI partners, deeper integration, and long-term growth tied to Apple’s ecosystem.
Each brings distinctive qualities to the table:
- Anthropic’s safety focus could make it a good partner for Apple’s privacy brand identity. Access to millions of users will boost Claude’s usage.
- OpenAI already has a partnership with Apple for ChatGPT, making integration less complicated, but it also has deep ties to Microsoft and Google. Apple prefers siloed systems over open platforms.
Advertising repercussions: Advertisers and brands won’t just be contending with Apple’s ad systems and algorithms—they also need to consider third-party vendors’ ecosystems and how those preference ad placements.
Our take: Apple settling for outside AI is a turning point for walled gardens. For advertisers, it’s both a risk—due to reduced predictability—and an opportunity to innovate within new conversational interfaces.