Apple’s AI journey has started on a stuttering note, so much that the company had to delay the Siri AI release until 2026. The company’s focus on privacy means it does not have the dataset to train its AI models and it needs external help to push some of the advanced features with the help of its rivals.

But now Apple has come out with a detailed report which explains how its AI models are trained and how they are designed to work in the absence of hardcore data which gives privacy of the users heavy importance. The company is even using its own AI servers to power the data centres that enable the Apple AI model to run and do the heavy lifting. 

Apple AI Models: How Are They Trained? 

The company has developed two different AI models that are catering to basic on-device processing, while the bigger version runs through Apple’s private computing system. The company uses both the models for tasks like giving text interpretations, understanding images and even aid their creation. All these are also done with Apple’s privacy ideology at the top of the mind. 

Apple trains these AI models using synthetic data that is completely devoid of any information coming from user devices. It uses the data generated by the internal models that uses metrics from devices opting for the device analytics feature Apple offers to iPhone and iPad users. The lack of real-world data limits its ability to contextualise the AI model, which explains why Siri or Apple AI has issues in deciphering the exact prompt from the user. 

Giving On-Device AI More Power 

Apple’s advanced tech allows the company to support a wide range of AI features locally and not needing the cloud compute power for all the tools. This is only applicable when you route the requests through OpenAI or Google servers, which Apple cannot control how your data is processed. 

The heavy emphasis on privacy for AI is evident all around Apple’s architecture, computing tech and even the data it uses to train its models have privacy written all over. These have certainly limited how Apple can process the data, especially compared to the vast trove of dataset available to OpenAI and Google, who may have employed different ways to gather/scrape them. 

Apple skipped the AI juggle at the WWDC 2025 last month and there is a strong chance that the iPhone 17 series launch also misses out on the AI pitch. The company will need a big 2026 to finally get the AI juggernaut moving before its rivals become hard to catch up.