Apple Delays Siri AI Rollout in EU After Regulators Reject 18-Month Exemption Request

Apple said Siri AI will not be available initially in the EU on iPhones or iPads. The company cited its inability to develop interoperability solutions that meet EU privacy and security standards. EU regulators rejected Apple’s request for an 18-month exemption from its obligations under the Digital Markets Act.

The European Commission said the decision not to roll out Siri AI in the EU is Apple’s and Apple’s only. Apple executives spoke at a briefing with reporters at the company’s Cupertino, California, headquarters. They said virtual AI assistants would have unprecedented access to a wide swath of personal data on a user’s device, including virtually all of their communications.

Apple told regulators of its plans to introduce an intermediary over an 18-month period to allow virtual assistants to access Siri AI safely. The request was turned down. Greg Joswiak, Apple’s marketing chief, said the commission is asking the company to conduct a very risky experiment on many, many, many tens of millions of users.

He added that Apple only wants to ship these capabilities when it can do so safely. Thomas Regnier, a European Commission spokesperson, said there was nothing in the Digital Markets Act to stop the company from introducing new products in the EU.

Apple detailed its plans for Siri AI to EU regulators six months ago, along with a technical proposal to allow secure third-party access to that data. The company faulted the European Commission for refusing to engage constructively to ensure privacy and security on its devices. Europe accounted for nearly 27% of Apple’s total sales in its last fiscal year.

The company does not break out sales for the EU. Apple said the DMA has forced it to postpone the rollout of several features in the EU, including iPhone mirroring to Mac, live translation with AirPods, and location-based features in Maps. DMA breaches can cost companies fines as much as 10% of their global annual turnover.