Apple may power Siri with Anthropic or OpenAI models amid AI struggles

Apple is considering using AI models from OpenAI or Anthropic to improve its Siri voice assistant, which was initially promised to debut in 2024 but was delayed until 2026. The company has asked the two AI firms to train their models to run on Apple's Private Cloud Compute servers, which use Apple chips. This would be a significant departure from Apple's current reliance on its own AI technology, known as Apple Foundation Models. Apple currently uses OpenAI's ChatGPT for some AI features, but a third-party powered Siri would be a major change. The consideration of using external AI models reflects internal changes at Apple, including a shift in leadership of its AI teams from John Giannandrea to Craig Federighi. The Siri team is now led by Mike Rockwell, who previously oversaw the development of the Apple Vision Pro. If Apple chooses to use third-party AI models, it wouldn't prevent the company from switching back to in-house technology in the future. The updated Siri is not expected to launch until 2026, with more modest AI features set to be released this fall with iOS 26, iPadOS 26, and macOS 26. Apple's potential use of third-party AI models mirrors Samsung's approach, which relies on Google's Gemini for its Galaxy AI. The company's decision will likely have significant implications for the development of its AI capabilities.