ChatGPT in Siri 'Persistently Underperforming,' Says OpenAI

OpenAI expressed disappointment with the performance of its ChatGPT integration within Apple's Siri, according to legal documents obtained during its ongoing legal dispute with Elon Musk's company, xAI (formerly xAI at the time of filing). Apple introduced ChatGPT to Siri in December 2024; however, users had to complete a multi-step opt-in process, which introduced an additional layer of complexity.

By January 2025, OpenAI reported that the integration had failed to gain traction, leading the company to lower its forecast for new logged-in weekly active users. By the time xAI filed an antitrust lawsuit against Apple and OpenAI, it became evident that Apple's integration of ChatGPT was significantly underperforming. In a subsequent section of the filing, OpenAI reiterated that the Apple integration was persistently underperforming, prompting a March 2026 conversation between the two companies, which is redacted in the document.

OpenAI requested a two-year exclusivity period from Apple, but their request was denied. The agreement between the companies explicitly stated that it was non-exclusive, meaning Apple had the right to integrate products or services with similar functionality to ChatGPT. Apple disclosed its intention to integrate one provider and subsequently add more, a stance they also publicly communicated when unveiling the feature.

Additionally, Apple entered into a deal with Google, and their latest models are powered by Gemini. OpenAI's legal filing contradicts many claims made in xAI's lawsuit. Musk accused OpenAI and Apple of having an exclusive deal, alleging that the agreement negatively impacted xAI's growth and customer acquisition. OpenAI counters that the contract disproves the existence of an exclusive deal, and even if it existed, xAI cannot prove harm as the ChatGPT integration into Siri did not attract many new users.

OpenAI argues that even if the court assumes Apple users who choose ChatGPT through Apple Intelligence are barred from using OpenAI's competitors (which they are not), the extent of harm caused by the agreement is minimal. Dr. Catherine Tucker, an expert for OpenAI, calculated the foreclosure shares of GenAI consumers accessing ChatGPT through Apple Intelligence using the same data and market definition as xAI's experts.

Her findings indicate minimal foreclosure shares across all metrics, aligning with OpenAI's internal assessment that Apple Intelligence usage was negligible. Earlier this month, xAI's lawsuit against Apple was dropped, leaving OpenAI as the sole defendant in the case. OpenAI's legal team seeks the court to dismiss xAI's claims before the trial scheduled for January 2027.