Summary
- Apple scrapped plans to use Anthropic's Claude for Siri after the startup demanded billions in fees.
- The Cupertino giant then pivoted to Google Gemini just months ago to power the upcoming overhaul.
- Sources say Apple still uses Claude internally for its own programming and product tools.
We all know at the point that Apple has partnered with Google for Gemini-based Siri in a multi-billion dollar deal. However, new information suggests that Apple initially intended to use a different AI model for Siri but ultimately walked away from the deal due to the exorbitant cost.
Apple wanted Anthropic before Google
Bloomberg's Mark Gurman revealed on the TBPN podcast that Apple initially wanted to partner with Anthropic on a Claude-powered Siri, but negotiations between the two brands hit a wall over money. Gurman stated that Anthropic demanded "several billion dollars a year" for the partnership, which forced Apple to look beyond.
Not only that, but the makers of Claude also reportedly demanded that the cost would double annually for three years. Faced with what was described as being "held over a barrel", Apple decided the price of entry was simply too high and abandoned the plan.
Apple then turned to Google for the deal and the decision was made a few months ago. However, the irony is that Claude is still inside Apple's Siri. Despite rejecting Claude, Apple still uses it internally to run custom versions of the model on its own servers that power the company's internal development tools. These also assist with product creation.
Beyond the above information, Gurman also revealed that Apple will have to partner with Alibaba, Weibo and Tencent for its AI features in China. For those unaware, Apple Intelligence on iPhones currently uses OpenAI and ChatGPT for text and image generation.
However, Siri's duties are still handled by Apple's own foundational models, which is expected to transition to Gemini when iOS 26.4 rolls out. This iOS version is expected to roll out to supported iPhones somewhere in March or April 2026. Gurman recently reported that the integration is on track and no delays are expected.
The new Gemini-powered Siri should be available on iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 16 and iPhone 17 series once it rolls out. More information about how it performs should be unveiled as iOS 26.4 enters public testing starting February 2026. Until then, stay tuned.
