Apple plans to make iOS 27 choose-your-own-adventure AI models

When iOS 27 is released later this year, iPhone users will have a lot of options when it comes to which AI models they want to use on the device.

A new report from Bloomberg says that Apple plans to give users their choice among a number of large third-party language models that will be able to run different functions within the iPhone operating system. The new feature, called “Extensions” internally, will allow users to “access generative AI capabilities from installed apps on demand, through Apple Intelligence features like Siri, Writing Tools, Image Playground, and more,” a message reportedly appeared in beta versions of the software.

The new capability will also be available for iPadOS 27 and macOS 27, the outlet wrote, adding that models from Google and Anthropic are now being tested. What is less clear is ChatGPT’s position. Since it’s the model currently available to users, one implication of this is that it will remain an option.

TechCrunch has reached out to Apple for more information.

With long-serving CEO Tim Cook soon stepping down, Apple’s next CEO, John Ternos, has been tasked with charting the company’s future — including its artificial intelligence strategy. The company is widely viewed as a “laggard” in the AI ​​space, because it does not launch as many new AI services as some of its peers.

However, Apple still generates a significant amount of AI-based revenue, and its plan is less about spending money on building out AI infrastructure and services and more about transforming its already existing devices into an AI-centric experience for users.