Apple is diversifying its artificial intelligence strategy, aiming to integrate multiple AI models beyond its initial OpenAI partnership for Apple Intelligence and its next-generation Siri. This move is a pragmatic shift prompted by internal development challenges.
CEO Tim Cook confirmed the company’s flexible approach, stating Apple’s intention to “integrate with more partners over time.” Cook made these remarks during the company’s recent financial results presentation and in an interview with CNBC.
Apple Intelligence is designed as an adaptable platform capable of incorporating the best available technology. This strategy avoids exclusive reliance on a single AI solution.
A substantially more powerful and conversational version of Siri is anticipated for next year. This update is expected to include many advanced features previously announced but not yet implemented.
Industry rumors point to Google as a leading candidate for a partnership. Earlier reports indicated discussions between the two tech giants to integrate Google’s Gemini model into Apple devices.
Journalist Mark Gurman also reported that Google is actively training a version of Gemini optimized for Apple’s servers. Other potential collaborators include Anthropic and Perplexity.
Cook also expressed openness to mergers and acquisitions, stating during a shareholder call, “We are open to mergers and acquisitions if we believe they will contribute to the advancement of our roadmap.”
This broader strategic shift follows internal difficulties Apple faced in developing its own AI technology. Despite record profits from the iPhone, the company has lagged in the AI race, encountering various engineering obstacles.
Apple’s team was developing two distinct architectures for the new Siri. The original plan was to launch the first version and then transition to a more advanced second version. However, the team concluded that the initial version was insufficient, delaying the complete vision for Siri until 2026.