Against the backdrop of long-overdue Siri features, a new report argues that Apple's cautious AI approach could be one of its biggest advantages in 2026.

Apple's artificial intelligence endeavors continue to be the subject of speculation, even as we move closer to the planned contextually aware version of Siri. After it failed to deliver an AI upgrade it promised at WWDC 2024, the iPhone maker adopted a more restrained position regarding AI.

Because of this, it's been argued that Apple is late to the AI race, that the company hasn't delivered products nearly as impressive as those of rival companies like Google. Apple has also toned down its Apple Intelligence marketing, opting to focus on Liquid Glass as the key change for its 2025 software releases.

One report, however, claims that Apple's more conservative approach to AI could ultimately benefit the company in the long run. In other words, slow and steady might win the AI race.

The Information speculates that the iPhone maker's relatively low spending on AI data centers and chips could help its position in the near future.

According to the publication, Meta and Google have spent hundreds of billions on data centers and AI chips. Meanwhile Apple still has $130 billion that it could use to fund additional AI-related endeavors.

Apple hasn't made any major AI acquisitions in 2025, which puts it in a better position relative to companies that have spent large amounts on AI with little near-term revenue.

Additionally, instead of focusing entirely on in-house models like its competitors, Apple reportedly plans to offer Google Gemini-powered features in 2026. With this approach, Apple has more money to spend on AI acquisitions throughout 2026.

It is claimed that, despite the various job movements across the year, Apple still has a team working on internal models that it could use in the future. However, some leaders in the company think that LLMs will be commoditized in the coming years, making internal model development difficult to justify.

The report also claims that Apple has another advantage with the iPhone, saying that it's the perfect vessel and delivery mechanism for AI-related features and enhancements. This is even though AI-powered features are available across all sorts of products and applications these days, from Android phones to Windows PC.

In any case, Apple has undoubtedly made changes to its AI strategy, as can be seen with the retirement of AI head John Giannandrea. The company's artificial intelligence efforts are now under the control of Mike Rockwell, known for his work on the Apple Vision Pro.

Time will tell if and when these AI-related efforts will pay off, though. It also remains to be seen whether or not LLMs will continue to be as prominent as they are now, or if the bubble will burst.

Until then, we'll continue to see speculation.