Apple Eyes Radical Shift in Siri Strategy Amid AI Power Struggles

Is Siri going to get a third-party brain? Apple is facing a dilemma, and the fate of its AI policy is uncertain.

Apple is reportedly in advanced talks with some of the most prominent AI firms, including OpenAI and Anthropic, to potentially transform the way Siri operates, taking a significant step forward and enabling Apple to develop its own AI models. Should one of the deals materialize, it would decrease Apple’s power, whose best executive on artificial intelligence (AI), John Giannandrea, has been a long-time proponent of Apple’s in-house large language model (LLM) initiatives.

A Legacy Reconsidered

Ever since it introduced Siri back in 2011, Apple has fallen behind the rapidly developing AI assistants, such as ChatGPT and Claude. Apple’s competitors have surged ahead, with significant investment in open AI ecosystems, whereas Siri has evolved in much smaller increments.

The morale levels and employee retention within Apple’s internal AI team, headed by Ruoming Pang with Daphne Luong as its manager, have been problematic. Players such as Tom Gunter, a senior researcher in the LLM program, have already left, and others have been approached by competitors like Meta with high-paying job offers.

Strategic Pivot

Since December 2024, the iPhone manufacturer has been utilizing the technology offered by OpenAI in some Siri functions as well as Writing Tools. And with iOS 26, ChatGPT will be used to generate and analyze images on-screen. 

However, Apple aims to develop a specialized model of AI, one that can be utilized on Apple Private Cloud Compute servers, which utilize Apple Silicon. It will be used to harness the power of cloud models and protect user privacy, as this is one of Apple’s core values.

The firm has experimented with other AI applications, such as an aborted AI-powered coding assistant known as Swift Assist. It has been developing and shipping hardware projects, including smart glasses and tabletop robots, that rely heavily on AI.

The Internal Strain

The current initiative by Apple to utilize third-party AI models has raised concerns among Apple employees. The problem with outsourcing Siri’s intelligence is that it will create a precedent, as groups such as Core ML and App Intents are brought under the umbrella of other managers, including software chief Craig Federighi and head of services Eddy Cue, indicating wider changes.

With retained initiatives, like the counteroffers to the MLX team, engineers are under siege. Some argue that the use of external AI is akin to covering up internal weaknesses, which can lead to dissatisfaction.

What Does It All Mean?

The AI strategy can become a key factor in Apple’s future competitiveness. An effective partnership with OpenAI or Anthropic may reinvigorate Siri and the ecosystem, albeit at the cost of ownership and innovation.

Nevertheless, Apple does not rush in. Developers will be given access to on-device AI models this year; however, cloud access to them remains limited due to infrastructure constraints.

The Takeaway

With Apple reshaping the expectations of what Siri is as well as what AI is to its customers, the company finds itself at a very critical juncture. Whether it is empowering its in-house AI capabilities or adopting external superpowers, one thing is evident: AI is no longer a background feature. It is the new Apple experience.

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