Apple's CEO, Tim Cook, discusses the company's strategy for artificial intelligence, providing insights into Apple's AI endeavors.
In 2025, Apple has made a significant leap in its AI and machine learning capabilities with seven strategic acquisitions, marking a major shift in the company's focus [1][2][3]. CEO Tim Cook confirmed Apple's readiness to invest substantially in AI, signaling that mergers and acquisitions (M&A) that accelerate its AI roadmap are on the table [1].
Among these acquisitions, the Seattle-based startup Y Labs, with its AI expertise, has been publicly acknowledged as part of Apple's AI strategy [4]. Rumours suggest that Apple might be considering partnerships or technology integration from major AI companies like Anthropic or OpenAI for developing a large language model (LLM) version of Siri [1][3][4]. Apple is also reportedly contemplating larger AI deals, including a potential acquisition of Perplexity AI, valued at $18 billion, which could be its largest-ever acquisition [1].
Apple's approach to AI emphasizes privacy-preserving AI with specialized hardware and software architecture. However, critics argue that this strategy limits data access for AI model training and increases computational costs, potentially putting Apple behind rivals in AI innovation [3].
The company's CFO expects capital expenditure to grow substantially, primarily driven by AI infrastructure [2]. Tim Cook has personally signaled his readiness to open the checkbook for AI investments, reflecting Apple's commitment to catching up with competitors and building AI capabilities internally [1][2].
While the much-anticipated update to Siri, a fully revamped version, has been delayed to 2026 [5], Apple is not limiting itself by company size in its acquisition strategy, indicating a broad approach to AI development.
As Apple continues to invest in AI, the AI era at Apple might truly begin, with AI features tightly aligned with Apple's long-standing user protection ethos and opt-in by users, ensuring a user-friendly and secure experience [6].
[1] https://www.reuters.com/technology/apple-acquiring-companies-ai-machine-learning-2025-05-01/ [2] https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-06-15/apple-s-ai-push-signals-growing-investment-in-data-centers-compute [3] https://www.theverge.com/2025/07/20/23365213/apple-ai-investment-strategy-criticism-privacy-data-access [4] https://www.cnet.com/news/apple-acquires-seattle-based-ai-startup-y-labs/ [5] https://www.macrumors.com/2025/08/01/siri-update-delayed-to-2026/ [6] https://www.techcrunch.com/2025/09/15/apple-ai-features-privacy-focused-opt-in-and-on-device-processing/
(Vyom Ramani is a journalist with a soft spot for tech, games, and things that go beep.)
- Apple, with its recent acquisitions of AI-focused companies like Y Labs and potential integration of technology from Anthropic or OpenAI, aims to develop an advanced large language model version of Siri, signaling its commitment to artificial-intelligence.
- Apple's investment in AI is expanding, as suggested by the company's reported potential acquisition of Perplexity AI valued at $18 billion and growing capital expenditure primarily driven by AI infrastructure, demonstrating a significant focus on artificial-intelligence.
