Apple explores OpenAI and Anthropic partnerships as Siri AI falls short

Apple is reportedly considering partnering with OpenAI or Anthropic to power Siri after its own AI development efforts have failed spectacularly, according to new Bloomberg reporting. The tech giant faces multiple lawsuits from shareholders and customers over misleading promises about AI-powered Siri features that were supposed to launch with the iPhone 16 but have been delayed until at least 2026.

What you should know: Apple’s internal AI research has hit a wall, forcing the company to explore outsourcing Siri’s intelligence to third-party providers.

• Bloomberg sources reveal Apple has asked both OpenAI and Anthropic to train versions of their large language models to run on Apple’s cloud platform for testing.
• Anthropic’s Claude appears to be the frontrunner, with Siri chief Mike Rockwell and executives believing it would best align with Apple’s vision.
• The potential partnership would mark a major strategic retreat for one of the world’s largest tech companies.

The backstory: Apple’s AI promises have consistently fallen short since the iPhone 16 launch in September 2024.

• The company promised customers a suite of “Apple Intelligence” features that would “roll out later this year and in the months following.”
• The centerpiece was an AI-powered Siri upgrade using large language models that could autonomously complete “mundane tasks” for users.
• Instead of delivering, Apple faced lawsuits from shareholders and customers for misleading claims about the $799 phone’s capabilities.

Why this matters: Apple’s pivot signals the tech giant may be stepping back from the AI arms race that has dominated Silicon Valley.

• The move would represent a fundamental shift from Apple’s traditional approach of developing core technologies in-house.
• It suggests even Apple, with its massive resources, is struggling to keep pace with specialized AI companies.
• The decision could influence other tech giants’ strategies around AI development versus partnerships.

The bigger picture: Apple appears to be questioning the broader AI hype cycle that has swept the industry.

• In June, Apple’s Machine Learning Research lab released a white paper declaring the AI industry was “massively overhyping” the abilities of top AI models.
• The paper specifically challenged OpenAI’s claims that its chatbots can “reason,” a key selling point CEO Sam Altman has promoted.
• Apple announced a $500 billion investment in US tech manufacturing over four years, including server facilities and engineering academies, suggesting a focus on infrastructure over AI breakthroughs.

What this means: Apple’s potential retreat from AI development could serve as a reality check for the industry’s inflated expectations around artificial intelligence capabilities.