Apple CarPlay has traditionally been quite restrictive when it comes to the types of apps it allows on your vehicle’s display, but it seems that alternative AI would chatbots such as ChatGPT and Gemini could soon get their place on the CarPlay interface.
Namely, according to Bloomberg’s report When Gurmanathis change will not replace Siri as the default voice assistant on CarPlay. However, users will be able to launch and access the voice-enabled alternatives directly from the CarPlay dashboard if they so choose.
The broader context of Apple’s AI strategy
New updates for iOS 26 are expected soon, while iOS 27 should be unveiled around June, when Apple holds its regular Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC). However, Gurman does not specify a precise time frame for the implementation of this functionality.
If this comes to fruition, it will be another concession that Apple is making in the field of artificial intelligence. It is understood that the long-planned next-generation upgrade to Siri has been delayed until this year, while competitors such as Google and OpenAI have made strong progress with their chatbots. Siri was already enhanced with ChatGPT capabilities in iOS 18, bringing true generative AI capabilities, based on large-scale linguistic models (LLM), to Apple devices. This integration remains in place while Apple works on improvements to its own Apple Intelligence platform.
Earlier this year, Apple also announced a major partnership with Google, whose AI models will power the next-generation Siri assistant, which should appear with iOS 27. However, that integration will be more “behind the scenes” compared to the one ChatGPT has.
These deals are separate from what Apple is apparently planning with CarPlay, but they represent another sign that the company is willing to open up its platforms to other AI chatbots. At least for the time being, such an approach certainly helps in avoiding increased supervision by regulatory authorities.