Apple Inc. is in talks with Anthropic and OpenAI to potentially use their artificial intelligence technology for a future version of its voice assistant, Siri. This represents a major strategic shift for the company, which has historically relied on developing its own technology in-house.
According to a report by Mark Gurman of Bloomberg, the move is an acknowledgment that Apple is struggling to compete in the field of generative AI. The discussions, led by Siri chief Mike Rockwell and software head Craig Federighi, are reportedly a response to the perceived inferiority of Apple’s own AI models.
The company has asked both Anthropic and OpenAI to develop custom versions of their large language models that could run on Apple’s secure cloud infrastructure. This approach is intended to safeguard user privacy. While testing these external models, Apple is also continuing to develop an alternative version of Siri based on its homegrown technology.
The report, which cites people familiar with the private deliberations, notes that the investigation is in an early stage and no final decision has been made. However, the potential change has reportedly caused uncertainty and low morale within Apple’s AI team. Disagreements over financial terms with Anthropic, which is seeking a multibillion-dollar annual fee, have also complicated the discussions.