Apple Plays Chicken With Europe Over Siri AI Access

Apple argues that the Digital Markets Act forces it to grant third-party AI developers, such as OpenAI and Google, dangerous levels of access to sensitive user data. The company contends this integration threatens its proprietary privacy model, leading them to withhold the feature entirely rather than comply with mandates that would dismantle their vertical control. While Apple proposed a "Trusted System Agent" as a middle-ground solution, the European Commission rejected the plan, asserting that the law remains flexible enough to allow new services without sacrificing security.

Legal experts and regulators characterize the move as a strategic lobbying tactic rather than a purely technical hurdle. University College London professor Michael Veale notes that Apple is willing to grant its own AI deep access to apps and personal information while simultaneously arguing that identical access for competitors is too risky. Meanwhile, the European Commission maintains that Apple has failed to provide actionable, compliant proposals, leaving the company in a familiar position of using privacy concerns to shield its closed ecosystem from competition. As both sides dig in, the dispute mirrors previous clashes over hardware standards and feature availability, testing whether Brussels will maintain its regulatory pressure or eventually yield to Apple’s demands.