Apple is taking its next big bet on AI not by building more models itself, but by opening the door to everyone else's.

Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reports that iOS 27 will ship a feature called Extensions, which lets users choose which AI chatbot Siri routes to when it needs a language model. Third-party chatbots — including Google's Gemini, Anthropic's Claude, and others downloaded from the App Store — will be able to respond on Siri's behalf, similar to how ChatGPT already works via the existing OpenAI partnership.

What Changes

Currently, Siri hands off to ChatGPT for complex queries that require generative AI. Under the Extensions system, any qualifying chatbot downloaded from the App Store can be added to that pipeline. Users will be able to enable or disable specific integrations per device.

The Extensions section is expected to have its own dedicated App Store category — effectively an AI marketplace inside Apple's existing storefront. The Verge notes this could expand well beyond chatbots to cover broader Apple Intelligence integrations.

Why It Matters

Apple's AI strategy has been defined by setbacks — the Siri overhaul first promised at WWDC 2024 still hasn't shipped, and Gemini integration keeps slipping. Extensions sidesteps that problem by letting third parties do the heavy lifting while Apple controls the distribution layer.

It also puts Apple in an unusually powerful position: every AI company that wants to be inside Siri has to go through the App Store — and Apple's review process — to get there.

iOS 27 is expected to be formally revealed at WWDC 2026, which kicks off June 8.