It’s taken a while, but Apple finally seems to have settled into its AI strategy and the key seems to be offering options. According to the latest report from Mark Gurman at BloombergApple plans to let users choose from a range of third-party models when asking their devices to perform generative AI tasks. This change is expected to arrive in iOS 27, iPadOS 27, and macOS 27, sources told the publication.
AI companies that join and add support to their App Store programs will be available to power Apple’s AI tools in what the company internally calls Extensions. “Extensions allow you to access the generative AI capabilities of installed apps on-demand, through Apple Intelligence features like Siri, Writing Tools, Image Playground and more,” a message in test builds of the software reportedly read.
We already had the impression earlier this year that this choice would be a watchword for part of the company’s plan for Apple Intelligence. Bloomberg reported in March that Apple’s upcoming AI chatbot would support selection among different AI models. And for the past few years, ChatGPT has been a growing part of Apple Intelligence, with the OpenAI platform available to handle some gen-AI tasks.
Apple’s slow AI game has attracted a lot of attention and raised many eyebrows. The strategy now appears to offer users flexibility and options rather than developing an internal model powerful enough to directly compete with chatbots that have been on the market in recent years. This is an unusual tactic for a company that has historically embodied the walled garden approach to technology, but given the number of delays and false starts, perhaps this is how Apple can at least become a real part of the AI conversation.