Tim Cook Drops A Hint: Apple’s Next Big AI Move Could Change How Siri Works

Apple is preparing to take a bigger step into artificial intelligence. After the company’s Q4 2025 earnings call, CEO Tim Cook told CNBC that Apple plans to work with more AI partners beyond OpenAI, hinting that Apple Intelligence – the company’s growing suite of generative AI tools – will soon expand its reach. While Cook didn’t name any specific companies, his comments suggest Apple is working to make its AI ecosystem more open and adaptable. Also Read: OpenAI Sora To Start Charging Users? Here’s Why It’s Not Fully Free Anymore

The timing couldn’t be better for Apple. iPhone sales have reportedly touched record highs, closing out the fiscal year on a strong note. Cook credited this momentum to the iPhone 16 lineup and the early success of Apple Intelligence, which has been drawing positive feedback from users for its new capabilities across iPhone, iPad, and Mac. Also Read: iPhone 17 Is More Prone To Mobile Scams Than Pixel 10 Pro, Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7, Moto Razr+ 2025?

Right now, Apple Intelligence uses a mix of Apple’s in-house models and OpenAI’s ChatGPT to power features like Siri’s improved responses, Writing Tools, and Visual Intelligence. But Cook’s remarks confirm that Apple wants to go beyond this setup. Earlier this year, Apple’s software chief Craig Federighi also mentioned that the company plans to support more AI models, including Google’s Gemini, at a later stage. Also Read: Beyond OpenAI ChatGPT! Apple To Partner With More AI Giants To Release Siri In 2026, Tim Cook Confirms

Behind the scenes, Apple has been preparing for this AI shift for quite some time. Reports from September suggest the company is adding support for the Model Context Protocol (MCP) – a framework created by Anthropic that helps different AI models and apps work together more efficiently. It’s seen as Apple’s way of opening up its ecosystem a bit more, while still keeping its strong privacy standards and on-device performance intact.

Cook also confirmed that the next-generation Siri is on track to launch next year. The upgraded version, powered by Apple Intelligence, will reportedly understand context better, perform multi-step tasks, and interact more smoothly with apps – features that were initially expected to arrive with iOS 18 earlier this year.

Apple is said to be experimenting with external AI models from OpenAI and Anthropic to boost Siri’s conversational and automation abilities. What continues to set Apple apart, though, is its on-device processing approach. Most of Siri’s tasks will continue to run locally to protect user data, while only complex requests will rely on external AI models.