EU Says Decision Not to Launch Siri AI in Europe Is Apple's Alone
Key Points:
- The European Commission stated that Apple's decision not to launch Siri AI in the EU is entirely Apple's choice, emphasizing that Apple sought an exemption from legal obligations rather than proposing compliant interoperability solutions.
- Commission spokesperson Thomas Regnier criticized Apple for failing to develop interoperability solutions that meet EU privacy and security standards and for requesting a blanket exemption from the Digital Markets Act's interoperability requirements.
- Apple blamed EU regulators for the lack of progress, claiming they refused to engage constructively with Apple's proposed solutions, including the Trusted System Agent designed to allow third-party virtual assistants safe access to device capabilities.
- The Commission disputed Apple's narrative, asserting that Apple did not negotiate but instead sought to avoid compliance, which is not permitted under EU law.
- As a result, Siri AI and its new features will not be available to EU users when iOS 27 launches later this year, though Apple expressed hope to eventually bring Siri AI to the EU and pledged to continue discussions with regulators.