Apple’s Tim Cook is Trying Hard to Get Siri AI Approved in the EU
The launch of the revolutionized Siri AI faces massive hurdles in the EU. In a recent meeting between Apple CEO Tim Cook and EU Tech Commissioner Henna Virkkunen, an attempt was made to “lower the temperature in this bitter dispute,” reports the Financial Times. Despite the talks being described as “constructive,” the situation remains unchanged for iPhone and iPad users for the time being: the new AI functionality will not appear on these devices in the EU.
The fact that Cook traveled personally for these talks demonstrates how important the EU market is to Apple. Cook will soon step down as the company’s CEO but will remain on board to conduct high-level discussions like these, such as with politicians in Washington or Brussels.
The Core of the Conflict: The Digital Markets Act (DMA)
The reason for the deadlock is the Digital Markets Act (DMA), a central EU law aimed at promoting competition. The law requires so-called “gatekeepers”—including Apple—to open their platforms to competitors.
The problem with the new Siri AI is the depth of system access: the AI is intended to be able to access personal user data, such as emails, messages, and contacts, to perform context-aware tasks. However, under the DMA rules, Apple must ensure that third-party AI assistant providers (such as OpenAI or Anthropic) receive the same level of interoperability and access to this data, provided it is necessary for their functionality.
Apple’s Strategy: The “Trusted System Agent”
Apple views this requirement as a significant security risk to user privacy. The company argues that a full opening of the data would undermine the protection standards of the devices.
To meet the DMA requirements nevertheless, Apple proposed a technical model it calls a “Trusted System Agent.” This is a software layer that acts as a buffer between personal user data and third-party AI models. The goal is to allow competitors access to necessary information without them being able to directly view or store the raw data. In this context, Apple is seeking an 18-month suspension of interoperability obligations to implement this technology.
Brussels’ Rejection: No “Regulatory Holiday”
The EU Commission has so far rejected these proposals. From the regulators’ perspective, Apple’s demand for an extension is a “regulatory holiday” that would distort competition.
The EU’s concern is an asymmetric market situation: if Apple were to roll out Siri AI with full data access on iPhones while competitors lack comparable access due to missing technical interfaces, it would give Apple an unfair advantage. The Commission emphasizes that rules must apply to all market participants simultaneously and without special exceptions to ensure a level playing field.
Regional Differences and Political Tension
While the rollout remains blocked on iOS and iPadOS, Siri AI will be launched in the EU on other platforms such as macOS, watchOS, and visionOS. In these cases, the stricter DMA gatekeeper rules apparently do not apply to this extent.
Furthermore, the dispute takes place against a politically sensitive backdrop. The US administration under Donald Trump has already criticized the EU’s digital regulations and is threatening retaliatory measures, such as tariffs, should the EU disadvantage US companies through “unfair penalties.”
For Apple users in the EU, the current deadlock means that the full capabilities of the new AI functions will be unavailable on the iPhone for the time being, as long as neither Apple nor the EU can reach an agreement on the technical implementation of interoperability.
