Tensions are reportedly growing between Apple and OpenAI over their two-year partnership centred on AI integration for the iPhone ecosystem.
According to reports, OpenAI believes the agreement has not delivered the commercial and strategic benefits it originally expected, and the company is now exploring possible legal options. Sources familiar with the matter said OpenAI’s lawyers are working with an external legal firm to assess potential responses, including formally notifying Apple of an alleged breach of contract without immediately launching a lawsuit.
The partnership began in 2024 when Apple introduced Apple Intelligence, integrating OpenAI’s ChatGPT into products including Siri. The deal enabled users to access ChatGPT responses through Siri and subscribe to ChatGPT services directly through iOS settings.
OpenAI had reportedly hoped the arrangement would significantly boost ChatGPT subscriptions and lead to deeper integration across Apple’s software ecosystem. However, attempts to renegotiate parts of the agreement are said to have stalled.
At the same time, Apple is testing integrations with rival AI providers including Anthropic’s Claude and Google Gemini as it expands its AI strategy. Sources indicated that Apple’s discussions with other AI companies are not themselves the basis for the legal tension, since the original agreement with OpenAI was never exclusive.
Google Gemini is expected to play a major role in Apple’s next-generation Siri experience, which could be previewed at WWDC in June as Apple outlines the next phase of its AI roadmap.
