Apple is reportedly considering bringing in outside help to strengthen its voice assistant Siri. The company is in talks with OpenAI and Anthropic to test versions of their AI models on Apple’s cloud infrastructure. This would represent a major shift for Apple, which has long preferred to develop its key technologies in-house. While Apple continues to work on its own AI project, known internally as “LLM Siri,” it appears the company is keeping its options open as it seeks to catch up in the fast-moving AI space.
Siri has often been criticised for lagging behind other voice assistants in terms of intelligence and usefulness. Despite improvements over the years, it still struggles with complex queries, especially when compared to tools like ChatGPT and Claude. While Apple already allows Siri to tap into ChatGPT for more advanced questions, this new move hints at a far deeper integration with outside AI systems. Instead of just passing questions over, Apple may be planning to rely on OpenAI or Anthropic to power large parts of Siri’s functionality in the future.
This shift may be due in part to delays in Apple’s internal efforts. Reports say the company was originally aiming to release a more intelligent, AI-enhanced version of Siri in 2025, but technical setbacks have pushed that timeline back to 2026 or later, according to Bloomberg. These delays underline a broader concern: that Apple, a company known for innovation, is struggling to stay competitive in the current AI race. Both OpenAI and Anthropic have made rapid progress, while Apple’s offerings have remained relatively static.
If Apple does decide to use external models more directly in Siri, it will mark a significant change in strategy. The company has always prided itself on building end-to-end experiences, with tight control over both hardware and software. Leaning on third-party AI, even if hosted on Apple’s infrastructure, would reflect a growing pressure to deliver smarter, more capable digital tools to its user base.
Ultimately, this development highlights how fast the AI landscape is moving and how even a tech giant like Apple must rethink its approach to stay relevant. Whether Apple sticks with its models or partners more closely with OpenAI or Anthropic, the next version of Siri may look and behave very differently from the assistant users know today.
