Turns out Apple will bring its “Apple Intelligence” AI to Europe after all—though only to a relatively small subset of its userbase.
Apple said in late June that it would not roll out Apple Intelligence to EU users because of the interoperability requirements in Europe’s new Big Tech antitrust law, the Digital Markets Act, which it said “could force us to compromise the integrity of our products in ways that risk user privacy and data security.”
However, not every Apple platform is designated as a “gatekeeper” under the DMA—the status that brings with it those interoperability requirements. iOS and iPadOS are both classed as gatekeeper platforms, as are the Safari browser and the App Store, but MacOS is not. Which probably explains why, as 9to5Mac reports, Apple’s release notes for the beta version of the upcoming MacOS Sequoia 15.1 operating system say only that the new AI features will be unavailable in China; there’s no mention of Europe, unlike in the equivalent release notes for the iOS 18.1 beta.
From a purely practical point of view, this distinction (which I have asked Apple to confirm; no response yet) would let the company at least get some idea of how European users are responding to the AI features, even if there are about 20 times as many iPhone and iPad users in the EU as there are Mac users.
But I’m still somewhat amazed that Apple seems set to forego the extra sales of this year’s iPhone that it would achieve if European buyers could get the AI features only that device (and last year’s iPhone Pro and Pro Max) can support. There simply isn’t as much reason to upgrade without that part of the pitch.
The fact is, we still don’t know what Apple’s problem is with the DMA’s interoperability requirements, a month and a half after Apple made its announcement.
At the time, I dismissed Apple’s statement with the rather inadequate observation that those requirements focus on messaging. That is one of the focuses, but the DMA also says that Apple would have to let third-party hardware and services tap into the same virtual assistant-controlled iOS features that Apple’s own chatbot can control—and this is where one can more easily imagine some kind of security or privacy issue coming up.
But imagining is all we can do, as neither Apple nor the European Commission (which enforces the DMA) is explaining the precise problem—the scenario to help us understand exactly how the DMA poses a threat to the safety of Apple Intelligence users (or does not).
For the Commission, this is supposedly a matter of policy. “We do not comment on individual decisions of companies,” a spokesperson said in a canned reply to my questions today. Commission antitrust chief Margrethe Vestager has previously claimed that Apple’s inability to achieve antitrust compliance means “they know 100%” that their strategy for rolling out Apple Intelligence “is another way of disabling competition.”
If it can, Apple should hit back at this characterization with some specificity about the security threats it’s trying to ward off.
After all, Apple often cries “but security” when regulators tell it to be less closed, and the sky still hasn’t fallen in as a result of, say, the DMA forcing Apple to allow third-party iOS app stores in Europe. As things stand, one must give some credence to Vestager’s accusation that the company is effectively saying “we will now deploy AI where we’re not obliged to enable competition.” That claim is in itself annoyingly vague, but if it’s not accurate, Apple needs to explain why.
More news below.
David Meyer
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NEWSWORTHY
Intel’s missed OpenAI shot. Intel had a chance to buy a 15% or 30% stake in OpenAI seven years ago, and to become integral to OpenAI’s AI systems, but decided against the deal, Reuters reports. Seems former CEO Bob Swan didn’t think generative AI would provide a suitable return on Intel’s investment. Now Swan’s successor Pat Gelsinger is desperately trying to right the ship after Intel found itself trailing far behind in the AI processor stakes.
Airbnb share drop. Airbnb’s share price fell over 14% at the start of trading today, after the company predicted weaker-than-normal sales in the peak summer holiday season, which it blamed on caution among U.S. consumers. As TechCrunch reports, Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky said the platform would soon launch new features such as “co-hosting,” which will let people who have the time manage listings for home-owners who do not.
New Google hardware. Google unveiled some new gear yesterday, giving the Nest Learning Thermostat its first refresh in nearly a decade and introducing the Google TV Streamer, which is the successor to the now-dead Chromecast line. As The Verge reports, the new entertainment hub is more visible than its dongle-based predecessor, comes with an improved remote, and can be used to control a smart home. Google still has a proper hardware event scheduled for next week, when it is expected to launch the Pixel 9 smartphone.
SIGNIFICANT FIGURES
$3.4 billion
—The scale of a SoftBank share buyback announced today, following pressure from major investor Elliott Investment Management, and also following SoftBank’s worst share-price drop in 26 years earlier this week.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
Elon Musk declares ‘war’ on advertisers with fresh lawsuit alleging ‘massive boycott’ on X, by the Associated Press
Elon Musk’s troubled pro-Trump PAC is now being investigated by two swing states after appearing to scrape voters’ data, by Eva Roytburg
Generative AI is getting kicked off its pedestal — it will be painful but it’s not a bad thing, by Sharon Goldman
Microsoft: Satya Nadella emailed Delta CEO Ed Bastian during IT outage, Bastian never replied, by the Associated Press
Governments may take a softer approach to encourage responsible AI: ‘Over regulation will stifle AI innovation’, by Lionel Lim
BEFORE YOU GO
AI in schools. South Korea will next year start giving pupils “AI-powered digital textbooks” that assess their proficiency in a subject and deliver appropriate content, Nikkei Asia reports, while local tech giants like LG and Samsung are racing to sell schools things like chatbot-based classroom assistant robots and AI-equipped digital whiteboards. “We aimed to create a classroom that's fun for children who are digital natives,” an LG team leader told the publication.
