- Apple Intelligence will allow you to choose which AI models enhance its functions
- iPhones using Apple Intelligence will be open systems from third parties like Google and Anthropic rather than relying on a single default.
- It will mark the end of OpenAI’s exclusive role in Apple Intelligence
Apple will give you a choice of AI models to power the Apple Intelligence features implemented on your devices rather than being limited to a single default, according to a Bloomberg News report.
Allowing users to select from multiple third-party models is a major departure from Apple’s usual strategy of tightly controlled experiences. It is more reminiscent of how Android and other operating systems have worked than the closely guarded options of the Apple Store.
The options are called Extensions and are coming to iOS 27, iPadOS 27, and macOS 27 this fall. The Extensions will offer a selection of AI models for writing, image generation and even voice conversations. Instead of an assistant responding to each request, the system could direct queries to different providers based on the user’s preferences. It’s part of Apple’s broader plans for revamped AI features, including a set of new tools for Photos and a complete redesign of Siri.
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Platform over product
Apple has reportedly already tested integrations with systems from Google and Anthropic. Those partnerships would sit alongside Apple models, which will still run features built into the device.
No company is leading all aspects of AI, as the plan tacitly acknowledges. Allowing external models to plug into its ecosystem means Apple can offer more advanced AI tools without needing to build each of them itself, something the company has struggled to do at the pace of its new partners.
It allows Apple to keep pace with rapid developments across the industry while maintaining control over how those tools are presented. And for those companies, Apple’s ecosystem offers scale that’s hard to match elsewhere. Even limited integration could attract a large audience to alternative models, accelerating competition within the space.
The additional decisions of the AI models will likely appeal to those who want some flexibility in their AI choices. On the other hand, some people like Apple because the company promotes the idea that all of its features have been selected so that you automatically get the best option. It removes the streamlined simplicity of Apple’s operating systems, which is a big draw for some customers.
ChatGPT dethroned
In particular, Apple’s plan means that OpenAI, whose ChatGPT system currently serves as the main external AI option for Apple devices, will lose its exclusive position. That exclusivity has been valuable for OpenAI, but the new strategy means ChatGPT will simply be one option among many.
Of course, Apple’s reduced control means that users may not be able to assume that everything AI tools produce has been approved by the company. Apple will have to make clear that it is not responsible for content generated by third-party AI models, even when pointing users to compatible AI apps within the App Store.
Many companies are inspired by Apple’s design decisions. This call suggests that in the current phase of AI, control may matter less than access. By making its devices a place where different models can coexist, Apple is betting that flexibility will be more valuable than exclusivity.
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