Apple (AAPL, Financial) is exploring the possibility of integrating AI technologies from Anthropic PBC or OpenAI to enhance its next-generation Siri, as its own AI projects face challenges. Discussions are underway to potentially use these companies' large language models for Siri, requiring them to train versions compatible with Apple's cloud platform for testing. This move would signify a significant shift for Apple, which currently relies on its proprietary "Apple Foundation Models" for AI functionalities, with plans to launch a new Siri version based on this technology by 2026.
Switching to Anthropic's Claude or OpenAI's ChatGPT would indicate Apple's acknowledgment of its competitive shortfall in generative AI. While Siri's web search queries are already handled by ChatGPT, the core of Siri remains powered by Apple's technology. Apple’s software chief, Craig Federighi, has previously mentioned the potential expansion of external AI tech usage.
Evaluations of third-party models are still in early stages, and no final decision has been made. Meanwhile, Apple's internal project "LLM Siri," using its own models, continues development. A model change next year could elevate Siri to match the capabilities of AI assistants on Android devices. Despite the uncertainty within Apple's AI team, a multi-billion dollar budget has been approved for cloud-based AI model development by 2026.
