Apple unveiled a much smarter Siri at WWDC 2026, but one major AI feature never got a mention. According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, Apple is quietly building support for multiple third-party AI models inside Siri and Apple Intelligence, and the necessary framework is already hiding inside the first iOS 27 developer beta.
Apple may soon let Siri tap into more AI models than just ChatGPT
In the latest edition of Power On, Gurman reports that Apple has built underlying support for integrating AI models beyond ChatGPT across both Siri and Apple Intelligence. While the feature wasn’t announced during WWDC, the first iOS 27 developer beta reportedly already contains backend controls for enabling or disabling the functionality, along with an App Store section designed to support compatible AI apps.
The report also claims Apple has held discussions with OpenAI, Anthropic, and Google about bringing their models into the system. Developers would need to apply for specific entitlements and integrate them into their apps before they can appear as supported AI options. Gurman says he has little doubt the feature will eventually ship.
As for why Apple stayed silent at WWDC, Gurman offers several possible explanations. Announcing broad third-party AI interoperability could complicate Apple’s regulatory arguments in Europe, overshadow the company’s own Siri overhaul, risk legal friction by ending ChatGPT’s apparent exclusivity too publicly, or simply make an already complicated AI story even harder to explain.
Interestingly, Gurman adds that users exploring the first iOS 27 and macOS 27 betas can already find evidence of an AI chatbot picker that currently switches between Siri and ChatGPT. According to him, that list is expected to grow through the new developer framework and App Store integrations.
Maybe Apple’s best AI strategy is not picking sides
For years, Apple has preferred building everything itself, but generative AI is evolving too quickly for any one company to stay ahead forever. Giving users the freedom to choose between different AI providers could end up being a far more practical approach than trying to convince everyone that Siri alone can do it all.
If this framework makes it into a public iOS 27 release, Siri could become less of a standalone assistant and more of an intelligent gateway to the best tool for the task. Ironically, Apple’s biggest AI win may not come from creating the smartest model, but from making it effortless to switch between all of them.
