Apple is considering partnering with OpenAI and Anthropic to power a revamped version of Siri, potentially abandoning its own artificial intelligence models in favor of external technology, according to a Bloomberg report published Monday. The discussions represent a potential reversal for a company that has built its reputation on controlling every aspect of the user experience.
The iPhone maker has asked both companies to train customized versions of their large language models that could run on Apple's Private Cloud Compute infrastructure for testing. Apple has found that Anthropic's AI models are currently the best fit for Siri's needs, and the companies have discussed preliminary financial terms. However, Anthropic is seeking a multibillion-dollar annual fee that increases over time, prompting Apple to also consider OpenAI as an alternative.
Apple was forced to delay its AI-enabled Siri, originally planned for 2025, until 2026 or later due to technical challenges1. The company announced in March that Apple Intelligence Siri features would be delayed until 2026, a decision that sparked customer outrage and led to several lawsuits23. The enhanced Siri capabilities were previewed at Apple's June 2024 Worldwide Developers Conference and advertised as features for the iPhone 16 models, but the company ultimately could not develop the technology in time23.
The project to evaluate external models began after Siri chief Mike Rockwell and software head Craig Federighi took over from AI chief John Giannandrea, who was sidelined following tepid response to Apple Intelligence4. CEO Tim Cook reportedly lost confidence in Giannandrea to lead the initiative53.
The potential shift comes as Apple faces criticism for falling behind competitors Google, OpenAI, and Anthropic in the AI race1. The company's Foundation Models team has reportedly suffered from low morale, with some members feeling scapegoated for slow progress in generative AI, leading to departures2. Apple has also faced compensation challenges, as competitors like Meta and OpenAI are paying packages as high as $40 million per year2.
Apple already partners with OpenAI to integrate ChatGPT into Siri, allowing iOS 18 users to have Siri pass requests to ChatGPT for detailed answers13. The new discussions would represent a much deeper integration with third-party AI providers beyond the current arrangement.
Apple's work on an LLM version of Siri is separate from personalized Siri features coming in iOS 26, with the LLM Siri planned to debut in iOS 27 in fall 202632. Neither Apple, OpenAI, nor Anthropic immediately responded to requests for comment45.
