Heavy Siri AI usage could cost more than we expected, given Cook’s comment

Tim Cook, Apple's former CEO, made a cryptic comment during an earnings call which has led to concerns that heavy usage of Siri AI could incur additional costs. While it was previously understood that unlimited Siri usage would require payment, Cook's remarks suggest there may be more to the story. Apple plans to perform as much AI processing as possible on device, which not only enhances user privacy but also prevents the company from incurring server costs.

However, certain tasks necessitate the use of Apple's Private Cloud Compute servers and others require Google Gemini servers, both of which incur costs for Apple. As a result, the company had assumed a freemium model similar to other chatbots, with limited usage for free and heavier users needing a monthly subscription. Although it had been assumed that Siri AI access would require an iCloud+ subscription, Cook's comments imply that usage limits may be tied to the iCloud+ plan.

In response to questions from Goldman Sachs, Cook stated that the compute costs are still early stages, and the company does not yet have a complete plan for recovering costs through iCloud+. He suggested that there will be upgrade possibilities on iCloud+ for those who want to use Siri AI extensively, but this could mean additional costs.

The language used by Cook is vague, which has raised suspicions that the news might be worse than it initially appears. Only time will tell how much Siri AI usage affects Apple users and whether paying for usage will be worth it.