Apple’s decision to team up with ChatGPT for Siri may not have been everyone’s first choice, especially not John Giannandrea’s. You might know him as the former head of Siri and Apple’s AI strategy, but he was a top executive at Google before that. According to a recent Bloomberg report, Giannandrea had hoped Apple would go with Google’s Gemini chatbot instead of OpenAI’s ChatGPT for its first Siri chatbot integration.
Giannandrea was reportedly unsure about ChatGPT’s long-term potential. He also raised concerns about the way OpenAI handles personal data, suggesting it might not meet Apple’s high standards regarding user privacy. Despite this, Apple announced at its Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) in 2025 that it was bringing ChatGPT to Siri and rolled the feature out to users in December.
Siri’s support for ChatGPT marks a shift
If you’ve used Siri lately, you may have noticed that it sometimes turns to ChatGPT for help answering questions. This happens when Siri can’t respond with its usual tools. It’s part of Apple’s growing push to bring advanced AI into its products, especially as rivals like Google and Microsoft continue ramping up their AI efforts.
Apple made it clear last year that more chatbots are on the way, with Gemini from Google being one of them. That move shows Apple isn’t placing all its bets on ChatGPT alone. Instead, it’s planning to give users more choices, possibly finding the right mix of AI support while maintaining its focus on privacy and control.
Giannandrea, who had once been a strong internal voice for AI development, was shifted out of his leadership role in March during a company reshuffle. His demotion may hint at broader disagreements within Apple about its AI direction and how fast it should move in a rapidly changing field.
Apple explores new AI partnerships
But the story doesn’t end there. Apple is also said to be talking with Perplexity, an AI-powered search engine. These talks are still early, but they point to Apple’s interest in finding more partners that can help shape the future of AI across its services.
According to Bloomberg, Apple offers Perplexity as an alternative to ChatGPT in Siri and as a possible Safari search option. That would give you another choice when using Apple’s built-in tools—this time, to get AI-powered answers by voice and in your web browser.
By exploring more partnerships and keeping its options open, Apple appears to be building a wider AI network rather than locking itself into one provider. While ChatGPT may be the first out of the gate, you can expect to see more AI tools added over time, possibly giving you better, faster, and more private help from Siri and beyond.
