Apple's revamped Siri could be powered by ChatGPT
What's the story
Apple is contemplating a major shift in its artificial intelligence (AI) strategy by considering the integration of technology from Anthropic and OpenAI into Siri. The move comes as a way to revive Apple's struggling AI efforts. The company has held talks with both firms about using their large language models (LLMs) for Siri.
Shift in strategy
Apple currently relies on its own technology
Apple currently relies on its own technology, called Apple Foundation Models, to power most of its AI features. The company had also planned a new version of Siri based on this tech for 2026. However, the potential integration of Anthropic's Claude or OpenAI's ChatGPT models into Siri would mark a major shift in strategy and an admission that it is struggling with generative AI technology.
Ongoing exploration
Apple is also developing in-house AI model for Siri
Apple's exploration of third-party models is still in its early stages and no final decision has been made yet. An internal project, LLM Siri, which uses in-house models, is still being actively developed. The potential change could help Apple match the capabilities of AI assistants on Android phones and shed its image as an AI laggard.
Team concerns
Shift to external technology creates concerns within Apple's AI team
The proposed shift has created an atmosphere of uncertainty and lack of clarity within Apple's AI team. Some members have expressed dissatisfaction with the company's consideration of third-party technology, fearing it could reflect poorly on them. There are also concerns that this could lead to a shift toward external tech for other features in the future.
Custom requests
Apple wants to run LLMs on its own servers
In its talks with Anthropic and OpenAI, Apple has requested custom versions of their LLMs that could run on its own cloud servers. The company believes this would better protect user privacy than using third-party infrastructure. However, the financial terms have been a point of contention in negotiations with Anthropic, which is demanding a multibillion-dollar annual fee.