Tim Cook Holds 'Constructive' Talks With EU Over Siri AI Launch

[MacRumors]

Apple CEO Tim Cook held "constructive" talks with EU tech chief Henna Virkkunen on Tuesday about releasing Siri AI in the bloc while complying with the bloc's digital rules, reports the Financial Times ($).

An EU spokesperson told the publication the virtual meeting had involved a "constructive exchange on topics of common interest, on which the work continues."

Siri AI will be available for free with iOS 27 and iPadOS 27 when they are released in September. However, the enhanced chatbot-style Siri will not be available in the EU on iOS and iPadOS until it can find a path forward under the bloc's regulatory framework. That includes the new Siri app for revisiting conversations, expanded Visual Intelligence capabilities, integrated writing tools, Siri mode in the Camera app on iPhone, and more.

When the new enhanced Siri AI features were announced at WWDC 2026 last month, Apple said EU regulators did not accept any of the company's proposed solutions to bring Siri AI to the EU while safely supporting other virtual assistants.

According to the Commission, the Digital Markets Act (DMA) requires Apple to give rival AI assistants access to the same underlying iPhone capabilities as Siri, allowing them to perform many of the same tasks on a user's behalf with appropriate user consent.

To address the issue, Apple came up with the idea of a Trusted System Agent – intermediary software that would be designed to let third-party virtual assistants securely access the same system capabilities as Siri AI on EU devices. Apple said the EU rejected the proposal.

The EU quickly shot back against that characterization, however, saying the decision not to launch Siri AI in the bloc was entirely Apple's and that the company sought an exemption from its legal obligations rather than a compliant solution. Regulators also said Apple simply requested a blanket exemption from its interoperability obligations under the DMA, something the Commission said is not an available option.

The dispute prompted a wave of criticism of the Commission. According to the Financial Times, EU officials received hundreds of emails from consumers accusing Brussels of denying Europeans access to the new technology.

As for Apple's proposed Trusted System Agent, a Commission official told the publication its contact with Apple on the idea was limited, and that it lacked a concrete proposal or details on how such an agent would work beyond the general concept. The official claimed Apple "focused on obtaining a green light to delay compliance."

"Apple's proposal to delay interoperability for third-party AI agents while having its product available to users would have risked leading to the entrenchment of its service before others would get a chance to compete for at least two years if not more," the official said.

By contrast, the official said changes Google made to Android prompted the Commission to open a formal consultation on how the company could comply with the DMA and avoid hefty fines.

Apple has not publicly commented on the latest round of discussions.

Note: Due to the political or social nature of the discussion regarding this topic, the discussion thread is located in our Political News forum. All forum members and site visitors are welcome to read and follow the thread, but posting is limited to forum members with at least 100 posts.

Article Link: Tim Cook Holds 'Constructive' Talks With EU Over Siri AI Launch

 

[Jarman74]

Apple CEO Tim Cook held "constructive" talks

More like ‘baby steps’ or ‘stepping stones’. Talks are never all that ‘constructive’ until you can back them up with a timeline.

 

[Naraxus]

Tim should have told the EU Mafia they can kick rocks.

 

[btrach144]

With the leak that hide my email doesn’t actually hide your email and Apple has known for over a year, does Apple really have ground to stand on? Don’t get the feeling they will protect us more than any other agent we could plugin?

Why would the EU stand down? Apple can ship iOS with Siri as default and allow customers to install 3rd party agents as desired.

 

[Vol Braakzakje]

Tim should have told the EU Mafia they can kick rocks.

You don't think Apple is like Mafia? They just raised prices 25%, even products that have next to no storage inside, just raise the prices by 25%. WTF?
It shows again that companies like Apple need a strong treatment.
Apple can't wait with their AI either, so they must come up with a good solution, as it is absolutely possible. They just don't want to. They just want money, money, money.

Because 23,000,000,000.00 PROFIT last quarter was not enough...

 

[surferfb]

This sounds to me like the EU is feeling the heat and really wants to convince everyone they’re not the problem.

Unfortunately for them, they are the problem.

 

[Radeon85]

The EU ought to be abolished, as it merely restricts technological progress. Moreover, some of its absurd measures stand out—particularly the infuriating cookie pop-ups appearing on nearly every website.

 

[mikebenton]

EU folks love their EU regulations...and good for them. If they feel that every company is entitled to the same advantages as the company who actually created the platform, they are welcomed to think that way. However, why would Apple take any risks going forward? If there is even a hint of an issue, just strip it out...or risk a $300M fine after the fact.

It's not that I have anything against EU regulations. It's the fact that they slap on these huge fines. If they win the battle, fine...going forward it has to be a certain way. What's with the big fines? Where does this money even go? American tech companies doing business in the EU are just cash cows for them.

 

[MaaK]

Still thinking as soon as they have more languages ready (e.g. German, Italian, Spanish etc.) this will launch. Same as with the original Apple Intelligence two years ago.

 

[surferfb]

Still thinking as soon as they have more languages ready (e.g. German, Italian, Spanish etc.) this will launch. Same as with the original Apple Intelligence two years ago.

It really can’t without running afoul of EU regulations, which will get Apple fined, or Apple completely changing their tune on privacy, which I can’t imagine.

The feature is built entirely differently than Apple Intelligence, and really don’t think there is any universe where Apple lets literally everything that happens on the phone get sucked up by Grok, ChatGPT, or DeepSeek to do who knows what with it.

 

[Plutonius]

In almost all negotiations, everyone says they are constructive..

My opinion only but I think that nothing will change.

 

[StuBeck]

With the leak that hide my email doesn’t actually hide your email and Apple has known for over a year, does Apple really have ground to stand on? Don’t get the feeling they will protect us more than any other agent we could plugin?

Why would the EU stand down? Apple can ship iOS with Siri as default and allow customers to install 3rd party agents as desired.

This has always just been about marketing. Apple knew from the start about hide your email. The privacy push was after they were caught checking our location constantly and storing it unencrypted on our phones for example.

 

[siddavis]

You don't think Apple is like Mafia? They just raised prices 25%, even products that have next to no storage inside, just raise the prices by 25%. WTF?
It shows again that companies like Apple need a strong treatment.
Apple can't wait with their AI either, so they must come up with a good solution, as it is absolutely possible. They just don't want to. They just want money, money, money.

Because 23,000,000,000.00 PROFIT last quarter was not enough...

Does Apple have any authority to force you to buy their products?
What are you, completely helpless unless someone tells you what to do?

 

[Taq'aix]

The EU is an autocratic dictatorship, sold on a false narrative of “strengthening the bloc” when it’s really about power and control. Its drive to dictate terms to European citizens and companies, on a global scale, is insane.

The EU and US together make up roughly 13% of the world’s population. Yet that 13% dictates what the other 87% can access, in medical technology, IT, and food etc.

That. Is. Insane.

China and Russia will become the next hegemons, and the EU will face the consequences. It’ll get what it deserves!

 

[ProbablyDylan]

If they don't like the EU's terms they can always just leave. They knew what they were getting into.

 

[Mescagnus]

Henna Virkkunen is Finnish, so the talks may have indeed been constructive.

 

[surferfb]

If they don't like the EU's terms they can always just leave. They knew what they were getting into.

Unlike Apple, the EU changed the rules midstream. If Apple had originally been open and closed up, then you’d have a point.

 

[Séamus Boyle]

EU folks love their EU regulations...and good for them. If they feel that every company is entitled to the same advantages as the company who actually created the platform, they are welcomed to think that way. However, why would Apple take any risks going forward? If there is even a hint of an issue, just strip it out...or risk a $300M fine after the fact.

It's not that I have anything against EU regulations. It's the fact that they slap on these huge fines. If they win the battle, fine...going forward it has to be a certain way. What's with the big fines? Where does this money even go? American tech companies doing business in the EU are just cash cows for them.

They have to pay for all the migrants somehow.

 

[BC2009]

Apple can ship iOS with Siri as default and allow customers to install 3rd party agents as desired.

that is not what is at stake. siri AI uses a phone-wide index of all user data that is 100% on-device. a third party agent having that access could upload an unprecedented amount of private data to their servers. you need an approval system where such agents can only access it if they have been first granted a specific entitlement and second the user must be given the opportunity to approve or deny access to some or all of that data.

apple will need to add the security layer to the indiex, design a clear and concise UI for the user to manage privacy of that data without accidentally leaking it while making that UI friendly enough to not seem like a barrier to using third party agents. an accidental clickthrough in this case can cause a permanent privacy breach of unprecedented proportions.

 

[ProbablyDylan]

Unlike Apple, the EU changed the rules midstream. If Apple had originally been open and closed up, then you’d have a point.

Terms and conditions are always subject to change. Doesn't matter if it's the rules at Arby's or Apple or Antwerp.

 

[centauratlas]

The EU just wants to have a backdoor to the contents of all their iPhones/iPads/devices for every citizen - perhaps even people who are visiting or there illegally. For obvious reasons this is awful.

 

[CyberGene]

As a EU citizen I have mixed to bad feelings about the EU. It really started resembling a socialist bloc. And I’ve lived in the socialist bloc, and am old enough to remember. I believe Apple are right to be critical. On the other hand, Apple mostly don’t support localization for small countries like mine, Bulgaria. They added it only a few years ago and it’s just iOS. Siri still doesn’t understand Bulgarian. At the same time, Google (and Android, and Gemini) has supported Bulgarian since the very beginning. If Apple would introduce a Gemini backed Siri which won’t support Bulgarian, then I’ll finally leave Apple because I’m really fed up. If the EU regulation would allow for the real Gemini to replace the crippled Siri/Gemini and thus small countries to benefit from better localization, then I’m on the EU side.

 

[jdawgnoonan]

The EU has bureaucrats that dictate tech product design. Talk about totalitarian.

 

[danpass]

Constructive conversation with EU is literally impossible.

The EU wants access to private data, period.

-

 

[RSmith2023]

About the only thing I can think of that this EU Commission has gotten right is forcing apple’s hand on things like Right To Repair & a common charging interface.. but all this forced interoperability nonsense is just that… nonsense.

You don’t force a car manufacturer to design their car so that parts are interchangeable between different brands, so why should it be the same for phone/electronics and software?

Unfortunately the EU’s “one size fits all” mentality is literally stifling what is being offered. Rather than release new features, and risk potential regulatory actions (fines) afterward, Apple has made the smart choice of just not releasing those items that would come into conflict.

I truly think the EU Commission wants Apple to release everything so they can then come back and threaten fines for the product they released. It’s about the money.. nothing else.