sharesShare articleApple has warned Australian iPhone users could be next in line to miss out on major AI features if Canberra follows Europe’s approach to regulating big tech, after the company blocked Siri AI from launching on iPhones and iPads in the EU.The fight is playing out in Brussels, but Apple’s message is aimed squarely at countries such as Australia, where the federal government has been developing a new digital competition regime for large platforms. Siri AI is the next development coming for the voice assistant. AAPAdvertisementTreasury says the proposed regime is designed to stop anti-competitive conduct, barriers to entry, and misuse of market power that harms Australian users, while the ACCC has backed new upfront rules for designated digital platforms.Apple’s warning is that rules written to force “open access” can end up doing something else: delaying new features, weakening privacy protections, and forcing companies to hand rivals deep access to a user’s device.Speaking to nine.com.au at Apple’s global headquarters in Cupertino, senior executives said the European Union’s Digital Markets Act had made it impossible for Apple to launch Siri AI on iPhones and iPads in Europe at the same time as the rest of the world.“I want to be very direct,” Apple’s senior vice president of worldwide marketing, Greg Joswiak, said.“This is something we’re very frustrated by, very heartbroken that we can’t bring this to our European users.”Read moreSiri AI headlines new announcements by AppleHe called it “the starkest example yet” of what Apple sees as the cost of the European Commission’s interpretation of the DMA.The European Commission doesn’t see it that way, with spokesman Thomas Regnier saying, “The decision not to roll out Siri AI in the EU is Apple’s and Apple’s only because absolutely nothing in the DMA prohibits Apple from introducing new products in the EU.”AdvertisementThe Australian angle is clear. The ACCC has said Australia’s proposed digital competition regime is “directionally similar” to reforms being implemented or proposed in the European Union, the UK, Japan, and India. Apple says that if Australia borrows too heavily from Brussels, Australian iPhone users could one day face the same outcome: headline AI features delayed, restricted, or redesigned because of local regulation.Apple says the core problem is interoperability. AdvertisementAdvertisementApple has unveiled some new major features for its devices at its California headquarters. Felix MizioznikovThe EU wants rival virtual assistants to be given the same level of access as Siri AI from launch. Apple says that sounds pro-competitive, but becomes dangerous when applied to an AI assistant that can understand personal context, see what is on screen, search across apps, and act on a user’s behalf.“I can’t imagine anything more concerning for privacy and security than opening up an entire operating system to a third-party assistant with unfettered access to virtually everything on a user’s device,” Joswiak said.AdvertisementWithout proper safeguards, he said, “any AI system can potentially read your messages, edit your files, delete your photos, [and] take actions on apps without your knowledge or consent.”That is the line Apple is drawing for Australia: competition rules may promise more choice, but if they force identical access for rival AI agents, the iPhone could become less private and less secure — or Apple may simply hold back the feature.In Europe, a spokesperson told reporters in Brussels that “Instead of trying to find a suitable, compliant solution, Apple merely asked the commission for a 18-month exemption.”From Apple’s perspective, that’s not the case - the company said it had proposed a “trusted system agent” for Europe, an operating-system-level intermediary that would allow third-party assistants to offer Siri-like functions without giving them direct, unfettered access to sensitive user data. AdvertisementAdvertisementApple says the European Commission did not accept that proposal; in fact, Apple says the commission did not even respond.Read moreUK lawmaker says she is suing Elon Musk's company over fake Grok bikini images“The commission is asking us to conduct a very risky experiment on many tens of millions of users,” Joswiak said. “We only want to ship these capabilities when we can do so safely.”AdvertisementApple is now urging governments outside Europe not to treat the DMA as a template.“We’re seeing proposals similar to what the EU has styled in the regulations,” Joswiak said, warning they could lead to “the same delays, privacy and security risks”.“For us, it’s critical to bring the message that other governments should not follow a failed model that we’ve seen in Europe,” he said.Australia is not Europe, and Apple’s legal team suggested Canberra has shown signs it does not want to simply copy and paste Brussels’ approach.AdvertisementAdvertisementOutgoing CEO Tim Cook waves during the annual Worldwide Developers Conference at Apple's headquarters in Cupertino, California. AP Photo/Noah BergerBut the company is clearly worried the same political logic could take hold here: force the biggest platforms to open up, then deal with the consequences later.Apple argues that approach misunderstands how AI assistants work. Siri AI is not just another app. AdvertisementIt is designed to sit close to the operating system and use deeply personal information to be useful — messages, photos, calendar entries, files, on-screen activity and app actions. Apple says even it does not have broad access to that private on-device intelligence.That makes the regulatory fight bigger than app stores or payment systems. It is now about who controls the most sensitive layer of AI on a smartphone: the user, the platform, rival AI companies or the regulator.AdvertisementAdvertisementSiri is designed to sit close to the operating system and use deeply personal information to be useful. NineFor Australian users, the risk is simple. A law written in the name of choice could mean they get less choice in practice — fewer features, slower launches, and a more fragmented iPhone experience than users in other countries.Apple insists it is not trying to punish European customers and says it wants to bring Siri AI to every market. AdvertisementBut it is also making clear that if regulators demand access it believes is unsafe, it will hold the feature back.“This is not punitive,” the executive said. “We wish we could [bring it] to the iPad and iPhone.”For now, Siri AI is a European problem. AdvertisementAdvertisementPeople attend the annual Worldwide Developers Conference at Apple's headquarters in Cupertino, California. APApple’s warning to Canberra is that, with the wrong rules, it could become an Australian one.Apple’s next-generation iPhone operating system - iOS 27 - is set to launch in September this year with Siri AI as a core feature.Trevor Long travelled to the USA as a guest of Apple.‘Our small town may die’: This NSW country town is in danger of disappearingWoolworths moving jobs offshore as costs riseBeyond the barbed wire: Secret baboon facility under scrutinyGrandmother’s life savings gone as $350,000 in cash and jewels stolen