Apple aims to significantly increase its AI investments, says Cook

Apple is ramping up AI investments, reallocating staff and acquiring companies to stay competitive.

: Apple intends to boost its focus on artificial intelligence, with CEO Tim Cook announcing during the Q3 2025 earnings call that significant investments are being made across the company, incorporating AI into devices and platforms. Tim Cook highlighted a strategic shift by reallocating resources and talent to prioritize AI, aiming to simplify advanced technologies for consumers. Investment in AI has led to increased capital expenditures, although Apple maintains control by contracting third-party capital investments. Emphasizing a cautious approach, Cook indicated that the company has acquired seven companies this year to expedite its AI initiatives, while still failing to launch several promised AI features in time.

Apple has announced a substantial increase in its investments in artificial intelligence (AI), aiming to integrate these technologies across its devices, platforms, and entire company structure. Tim Cook, CEO of Apple, highlighted AI's significant role during the Q3 2025 earnings call, emphasizing its influence as a profound technology of current times. The company's approach is to implement advanced technologies simply and understandably to benefit everyone, aligning well with Apple's long-standing philosophy of technology accessibility.

This initiative includes reallocating personnel within the company to focus more on AI capabilities, suggesting a strategic redirection of priorities internally. Cook confirmed that Apple is dedicating substantial energy to its AI team, indicating a robust team effort toward these technology advancements. Despite criticisms of lagging in AI advancements, Apple is taking measured steps to prevent premature launches of products that might not fully deliver on their promises, which reassures consumers about the quality of forthcoming AI features.

Apple has reported increased capital expenditures tied to these AI investments; however, they continue to practice a hybrid model involving third-party capital investment reliance. This helps manage financial surges in spending, avoiding dramatic exponential growth in capital expenditure figures. Cook disclosed that Apple is open to mergers and acquisitions (M&A) to accelerate its AI development path, having acquired seven smaller companies throughout the year.

The tech giant has already introduced over 20 AI features, such as visual intelligence, cleaning up digital noise, and writing tools. However, the improvement of more personalized AI-powered Siri features will not come about until 2026, though upcoming launches this year include AI innovations like live translation and AI-enhanced fitness guidance. Apple's approach suggests a deliberate, strategic trajectory rather than hasty moves, proving prudent given the missteps of promising technology that isn't market-ready.

During the earnings call, discussion also touched on AI's potential impact on hardware sectors such as iPhones. According to Cook, any new hardware introduced as a result of AI technologies would likely complement rather than replace existing products, contradicting some projections like those from Meta's Mark Zuckerberg regarding AI glasses potentially outmoding current devices. Cook emphasized Apple's iPhones continue to be integral to Apple's hardware strategy, dismissing the thought of them being obsolete in the near future.

Sources: CNBC, Axios, Business Insider, TechCrunch

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