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Siri's Next Trick: Swapping In Claude or GPT-5.6

Siri's New Clothes: Third-Party Models Slip Into Apple's AI

Apple's Siri has long been the butt of jokes, but a new discovery suggests the assistant is getting a major upgrade—one that lets it wear different AI hats. Developer "pdfu" dug into the code of iOS 27 and macOS Golden Gate and found that Apple has built Siri's AI architecture to play nice with outside models like Anthropic's Claude and OpenAI's GPT-5.6.

Two Ways to Play

The first mechanism, Model Delegation, treats third-party models like special guests. Think of it as Siri calling in a favor. In a demo video, a macOS user opens the "Search or Ask" bar, picks Claude from the "Ask…" menu, and then asks Siri to "let Claude" create a reminder. Claude parses the natural language request, but Siri still does the actual creating—because when it comes to Apple's own system functions, the third party hands back the keys. In another example, Claude gets asked to make a CSV file inside the Siri chat. Siri can't do that on its own, but Claude happily obliges. So third-party models can patch the holes in Siri's skill set.

But the second protocol, Model Management Service, is where things get wild. It includes an Inference Provider that lets users swap out the on-device Siri model entirely for something like GPT-5.6. In this mode, ChatGPT doesn't just help—it takes over. It handles Siri's planner and tool definitions, requests system operations, receives personal data, and generates answers that Siri then delivers with its own voice and interface. In one demo, a user asked ChatGPT to search emails on a specific topic, summarize them, and send messages to contacts—all through Siri. The responses even showed up in OpenAI's web logs.

Why Apple Is Loosening the Reins

Most observers point to the EU's Digital Markets Act as the puppet master. The law requires Apple to give third parties the same access to iOS hardware and software as its own services. The European Commission has made it clear: that includes Siri's AI. So Apple is engineering a future where you could pick your assistant's brain.

Don't Hold Your Breath

Before you start dreaming of a Claude-powered Siri, know this: the feature isn't live. The "Ask…" menu currently only works with the ChatGPT extension in the macOS 27 Golden Gate candidate release. Claude is still locked out. Apple hasn't opened model delegation to third parties, and users can't see any of it. But the code tells a story—Apple is laying serious groundwork for a world where Siri is less of a walled garden and more of an open house.

Key Points:

  • Apple's iOS 27 and macOS Golden Gate code reveals Siri can integrate third-party AI models like Claude and GPT-5.6.
  • Two mechanisms: Model Delegation (third-party assists Siri) and Model Management Service (third-party replaces Siri's core).
  • EU's Digital Markets Act likely forced Apple's hand on interoperability.
  • No user access yet; only ChatGPT extension works in a developer beta.
  • Apple is preparing for a future of model choice, but the door is still mostly closed.