Earlier today, Tim Cook was said to have held “constructive” talks with the European Union’s technology chief, Henna Virkkunen, as Apple and the bloc look for a way forward in their dispute over the delay of Siri AI in Europe. Here are the details.
A little context
During WWDC26, Apple announced that Siri AI will not be available in the EU alongside iOS 27 and iPadOS 27, citing the Digital Markets Act. Shortly after the opening, the company published a strongly worded statement The newsroom puts the blame squarely on EU regulators:
Apple today introduced Siri AI, an all-new version of Siri powered by Apple Intelligence. Unfortunately, due to the Digital Markets Act (DMA), Apple will not be able to ship Siri AI to the European Union with the release of iOS 27 and iPadOS 27. Over the past few months, EU regulators have not accepted any of Apple’s proposed solutions to bring Siri AI to the EU while validating other virtual assistants.
Apple’s proposed solution was called Trusted System Agent, and the company described it as “an intermediary that allows virtual assistants to securely access the same features and capabilities as Siri AI for devices in the EU,” as defined by the bloc’s Digital Markets Act.
Apple said it proposed an 18-month transition period that would allow it to roll out Siri AI, but the company has been gradually rolling out the Trusted System Agent, but claims the European Commission has rejected the plan.
In the post, Apple promised to “continue to work to bring these features to the European Union as securely as possible.” However, he said there is no timeline for the availability of Siri AI on iOS and iPadOS on the block due to “regulators not acknowledging” the risks DMA poses for European users.
The next day, Thomas Regnier, spokesman for the European Commission withdrewsaid he needed to “set the record straight”:
The decision not to roll out Siri AI in the EU is up to Apple and Apple, as absolutely nothing in the DMA prohibits Apple from introducing new products in the EU.
And
Apple simply failed to develop interoperability solutions that met the EU’s basic privacy and security standards.
Tim Cook enters
As reported Financial TimesEarlier today, Tim Cook held a virtual meeting with Henna Virkkunen, the European Commission’s Executive Vice President for Technological Sovereignty, Security and Democracy, to resolve the impasse over Siri AI.
From FTreport:
An EU spokesman said the virtual meeting was a “constructive exchange on topics of common interest where work is ongoing”.
The meeting discussed how Apple could launch the reinvented Siri in Europe while avoiding millions of dollars in fines for violating the bloc’s advanced competition rules, according to two people familiar with the talks.
While the report did not specify how much progress had been made, the meeting offered further evidence of how Cook is personally involved In Apple’s worldwide government relations after stepping down as CEO.
Just two weeks ago, he did interview with The Wall Street Journal Before the company’s decision about the global memory shortage and its impact on Apple raise prices for many of its products.
At the time, many saw the interview as an attempt to publicly pressure the Trump administration to ease restrictions on Chinese suppliers. A few days later, Financial Times revealed Apple has been lobbying the government for exactly this for at least a month.
Returning to Cook’s meeting with Virkkunen, it suggests that despite the public sparring, Apple is engaged with EU officials in search of a way forward.
It is no surprise that Cook was directly involved in the negotiations. Still, it suggests that Apple may be able to overcome the impasse more than it initially appears, with Siri AI central to both this year’s software releases and the company’s broader strategy.
for Financial Times‘original report, follow this link.
Do you think Apple and the EU will be able to reach an agreement in time for Siri AI to launch with iOS 27? Let us know in the comments.
It’s worth checking out on Amazon
FTC: We use automatic affiliate links that generate income. More.
