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Siri's New Trick: Claude and ChatGPT Could Soon Take the Wheel

Siri's New Trick: Claude and ChatGPT Could Soon Take the Wheel

Developer digs up code that hints at a major Siri overhaul—and the EU might be the reason.

Remember when Siri felt like a digital assistant from the future? These days, it's more like the friend who means well but can't quite keep up. Well, that might be about to change. A developer going by "pdfu" has been poking around inside iOS 27 and macOS Golden Gate, and what they found suggests Apple is quietly building a new Siri that plays nice with outside AI brains.

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Model Delegation: Claude as a Siri Sidekick

One of the mechanisms is called "Model Delegation." Think of it like giving Siri a guest pass for other AI models. In a demo, a Mac user opens the "Search or Ask" bar, picks Claude from the "Ask…" menu, and suddenly Claude is handling the conversation.

Here's how it works: you tell Siri, "Let Claude create a reminder for tomorrow." Claude parses your natural language request, then hands the actual reminder creation back to Siri. So when Apple's system functions are involved, Claude passes the baton. But ask Claude to make a CSV file right inside the Siri window—something Siri can't do—and Claude delivers the result. It's like having a super-smart assistant who knows when to call in the specialists.

Inference Provider: ChatGPT Takes Over the Whole Show

If Model Delegation is a guest pass, the second protocol—"Model Management Service"—is more like handing over the keys. It includes an "Inference Provider" that lets users completely swap out Siri's on-device model for something like GPT-5.6.

In this mode, ChatGPT doesn't just assist; it takes full control of Siri's planner and tool definitions. It can request system operations, receive personal data, and generate responses that Siri presents through its own interface and voice. In one demo, a user asked ChatGPT to find specific emails, summarize them, and send a message via Messages. The logs showed up on OpenAI's platform—proof that the whole thing worked.

Why Now? The EU Might Be Pushing Apple's Hand

Most media outlets point to the EU's Digital Markets Act as the likely catalyst. The regulation requires Apple to give third parties access to iOS features on par with its own services. And the European Commission has made it clear: Siri's AI is no exception.

What's Actually Available Today?

Don't get too excited just yet. Right now, the "Ask…" feature only supports the ChatGPT extension in the macOS 27 Golden Gate candidate release. Claude isn't there yet, and Apple hasn't opened model delegation to third parties. Users can't even see the feature. But the code tells a story: Apple is laying serious groundwork for a future where Siri plays well with others.

Key Points

  • Model Delegation lets third-party AI like Claude act as Siri extensions, handling tasks Siri can't.
  • Inference Provider allows models like GPT-5.6 to fully replace Siri's on-device brain.
  • EU's Digital Markets Act may be forcing Apple to open up Siri to competitors.
  • Current status: Only ChatGPT extension is visible in macOS 27 beta; Claude and full delegation are not yet available.
  • The big picture: Apple is engineering for a future of AI interoperability, even if it's not ready to talk about it.