Apple is attempting to reposition itself in the AI era with a clear vision: artificial intelligence that operates on the device itself, rather than in the cloud.

CEO Tim Cook promises that the technology will be integrated across all of the company’s products while safeguarding user privacy.

In practice, however, Apple is still struggling to keep pace with its competitors.

In a call held after the release of the company’s quarterly earnings, Cook chose to focus his remarks on artificial intelligence, despite reports of Apple’s difficulties in the field and the fact that no true AI product has yet reached the market.

According to Cook, artificial intelligence is not a passing trend but rather “one of the most significant technologies of our generation.” He added that Apple’s AI is not intended to be a standalone product but a technological layer embedded throughout the company’s ecosystem—from iPhones to MacBooks—driven by Apple chips and its “privacy first” philosophy.

While companies such as Microsoft, Google, and OpenAI have positioned themselves at the forefront of artificial intelligence with cloud-based generative tools, Apple is going against the grain.

The company insists that the future lies in models that run directly on devices, without streaming massive amounts of data to giant servers.

“We have always focused on taking advanced technologies and making them simple and accessible to everyone,” Cook explained.

“That is the core of our strategy in AI as well.” According to him, this approach has a dual advantage: a smoother user experience and stricter privacy protections.

However, it also comes with limitations—what can be run in the cloud is not always feasible on an iPhone, even with advanced chips.

At present, as part of its Apple Intelligence framework, the company provides users with several AI-based features, including image recognition tools, live translation, smart object removal from photos, enhanced writing tools, and intelligent notification summaries.

Regarding Siri, Cook promised “good progress” toward a more intelligent, personalized AI-driven version, though it will not be ready before 2026.

The challenge remains that Apple is still lagging behind its rivals.

While ChatGPT has become synonymous with AI, Microsoft has embedded Copilot into its core applications like Word, Excel, and Outlook, and Google has integrated Gemini directly into Android and its search engine, Apple’s offerings remain far more modest.

Moreover, some of the features presented as “Apple innovations,” such as text summarization or writing suggestions, have been available for years from competitors.

Apple has not disclosed figures on the scale of its AI investments, but Cook hinted that they have “grown significantly” in recent times, suggesting that behind the scenes Apple is working intensively to develop its AI systems in an effort to regain a leadership position.

The pressure is immense: the market has grown accustomed to a dizzying pace of breakthroughs released every few months, and Apple is struggling to keep up.

Apple is not alone in facing scrutiny—OpenAI also came under fire recently after the release of GPT-5, which was widely seen as disappointing for both users and developers.

Developers remain cautious.

Although Apple promises new tools to integrate Apple Intelligence into various applications, many fear the company’s hybrid approach—limited cloud use with heavy reliance on local processing—will restrict them, compared to the greater flexibility offered by other platforms.

Cook reiterated that privacy is a “pillar” of Apple’s AI strategy.

He emphasized that users’ personal data will remain on the device, while the company’s private cloud computing, based on its own chips, is designed to ensure the highest level of security.

As more AI systems flood the market and privacy concerns grow, this is clearly an advantage for Apple.

But it also comes at a cost: less data means less ability to train advanced models, widening the gap with competitors.

Apple’s major test will arrive in 2026 with the launch of its next operating system and the upgraded Siri.

If Cook’s vision succeeds, users will experience an intuitive, personalized, and secure AI.

If not, the company risks falling further behind in a market advancing at breakneck speed.

Meanwhile, investors are waiting for results, and their patience may not last indefinitely.

The crucial question remains whether Apple Intelligence will not only preserve Apple’s profitability but also become a competitive advantage that propels the company into AI leadership.