Apple CEO Tim Cook Holds 'Constructive' Talks With EU to Bring Siri AI to Europe

Apple CEO Tim Cook recently held a virtual meeting with EU tech chief Henna Virkkunen as both sides sought to ease tensions over the regulatory dispute delaying the launch of the company's revamped Siri in Europe. According to a report from the Financial Times, an EU spokesperson described the talks as a "constructive exchange" aimed at finding a path forward under the Digital Markets Act without Apple facing heavy fines.



Apple previously confirmed it will delay Siri AI on the iPhone and iPad in the EU because the DMA's interoperability rules would require it to give rival voice assistants a similar level of access to on-device user data. During the unveiling earlier this month, Apple marketing chief Greg Joswiak said the company worked hard to avoid a delay but claimed the European Commission refused to meaningfully engage with its proposed compliance solutions.


Last November, Apple first proposed a technical compromise it later dubbed the Trusted System Agent. The software layer would act as a secure intermediary between local device data and third-party AI models, allowing competitors to process personal information without gaining unrestricted access to the operating system. Apple is seeking an 18-month grace period to build the architecture and wants assurances from regulators before dedicating engineering resources to the project.

European Commission officials view the request as an unacceptable regulatory holiday. One official told the publication that Apple's pitch lacked concrete technical details and focused primarily on securing a green light to delay compliance. Regulators warned that allowing Apple to launch its own AI agent while forcing third parties to wait would entrench Siri before rivals had a fair chance to compete.

The dispute reflects a fundamental clash between the EU's interoperability requirements and Apple's longstanding privacy and security philosophy. The company recently warned the European Commission in a separate filing that forcing deep AI interoperability would create profound risks for user privacy, security, and device integrity. Apple is already preparing to open Siri to third-party AI assistants like Google Gemini and Claude in iOS 27, but the company wants to maintain strict control over how those external models interface with local data.

The dispute has triggered fierce public backlash against the commission. European consumers have flooded officials with angry emails over being unable to access the new technology, with one spokesperson reportedly receiving death threats. The standoff is also drawing attention from the White House, as the Trump administration recently directed officials to consider retaliatory tariffs against regions levying unfair penalties on American tech companies.