During Apple's Q4 2025 earnings call this week, CEO Tim Cook conveyed a clear message to investors regarding the company's proactive stance on artificial intelligence. Cook indicated Apple remains open to both acquisitions and strategic partnerships to propel its AI initiatives forward, affirming a multi-pronged development approach.

A significant update centered on the eagerly anticipated next-generation, AI-powered Siri, which Cook confirmed is on schedule for a 2026 release. He stated, “We’re making good progress on it, and as we’ve shared, we expect to release it next year.” This aligns with Apple's comprehensive strategy, which an analyst inquired about: combining in-house foundation models, collaborations with third-party large language model (LLM) providers, and potential acquisitions.

Cook reiterated Apple’s receptiveness to the latter, noting the company continuously surveys the market for mergers and acquisitions. He emphasized that Apple is “open to pursuing M&A if we think that it will advance our roadmap.” Further underscoring this commitment to external collaboration, Cook mentioned in a pre-earnings CNBC interview that Apple is preparing to announce additional AI partnerships, akin to its existing integration with OpenAI for ChatGPT within Siri and Apple Intelligence. “Our intention is to integrate with more people over time,” Cook remarked.

The CEO also elaborated on Apple's proprietary infrastructure, specifically its Private Cloud Compute system. This system is designed for private AI processing, where Apple creates and ships foundation models on devices, utilizing them within this secure cloud environment. Cook confirmed that Apple is already deploying Private Cloud Compute technology for various Siri queries and is actively expanding this critical infrastructure. He highlighted the commencement of manufacturing for servers used in Apple Intelligence at a new plant in Houston weeks prior, with a planned ramp-up for data center deployment, describing the operation as “robust.”

Finally, Cook addressed the increasing influence of AI on consumer behavior, suggesting that it is becoming a pivotal factor in smartphone selection. He expressed strong optimism, stating, “I would say that Apple Intelligence is a factor, and we’re very bullish on it becoming a greater factor,” indicating AI's growing importance in market differentiation and consumer purchasing decisions.