Apple Newsroom, in an Apple Newsroom post Monday:
According to EU regulators, the DMA requires Apple to give any AI
system nearly unlimited access to a user’s device, as well as the
ability to act on that access autonomously without a user’s
ongoing visibility and control. That includes the ability to read
and send messages, make purchases, access files, and execute
actions across any app. Security researchers have already shown
that AI systems can be hijacked to steal personal data — like
passwords and photos — and to permanently alter files and
account settings without a user’s consent. As AI systems gain
more capabilities, these risks are quickly increasing in
frequency and scope.Given the serious risks to users, Apple designed a solution called
Trusted System Agent — an intermediary that would allow virtual
assistants to safely access the same features and capabilities as
Siri AI for devices in the EU. Apple also shared a plan to launch
Siri AI in the EU while gradually rolling out this new solution
over an 18-month period. The European Commission said no. In fact,
the European Commission did not agree to any of Apple’s proposals.Apple will continue working to bring these features to the
European Union as safely as possible. However, given the clear
dangers to EU users and the regulators’ failure to acknowledge
these risks, there is currently no timeline for Siri AI’s
availability in the EU on iOS and iPadOS.
There’s a lot to unpack here, including more background information — and on-the-record statements — from a briefing Apple held Tuesday that I was invited to at Apple Park. But the bottom line is that Apple’s public statements regarding the DMA and the European Commission have never been this strident before. In its public statements, Apple has always been diplomatic. That’s the word.
Now, they’re a bit more on war footing. There’s a massive gulf between what Apple is willing to do with Siri AI in the EU and what the Commission is demanding from Apple for DMA compliance. As things stand there’s no middle ground. Apple’s offers for compromise have been rejected. Unless one side changes its mind and concedes its current position, Siri AI will never come to the EU, and what Apple is saying here is that they’re unwilling to create the open-access-to-user-data system that the EC is demanding.
And from what I’ve seen so far in a day of testing Siri AI, EU iOS users are going to miss out on something really good.
