Apple is bringing in Anthropic’s Claude AI to help its engineers code faster, marking a quiet but telling shift in its approach to artificial intelligence.
Apple has long resisted leaning on outside help for core technologies, preferring to build its tools in-house. But that wall is starting to crack. The company is now partnering with Anthropic to integrate its Claude Sonnet model into an upgraded version of Xcode, Apple’s software development platform.
Internally, the project is being rolled out to help Apple engineers write, edit, and test code more efficiently. The collaboration signals a strategic shift, reports Bloomberg on Friday.
Apple is no longer treating AI as a self-contained project siloed within its walls. Instead, it’s beginning to view outside partnerships as a necessary part of keeping up with rapid advancements in generative AI.
Apple previously developed its own AI coding assistant, Swift Assist, but internal complaints about hallucinations and slow performance stalled its release. Swift Assist already works alongside third-party tools like GitHub Copilot and ChatGPT, both of which have been integrated into Xcode to offer additional AI-driven support for developers.
However, Swift Assist still hasn’t been fully released to the public after its announcement at WWDC 2024.
Claude’s integration adds natural language capabilities that let engineers request code snippets, debug interfaces, or streamline test cycles. While the tool is still limited to internal use, a wider release to developers is on the table if the internal rollout goes well.
A strategic shift, not just a feature drop
The shift also aligns with broader internal changes. Apple has recently restructured its AI leadership, moving Siri development under software chief Craig Federighi and narrowing the role of AI chief John Giannandrea to focus more on foundational research.
CEO Tim Cook addressed the new direction on Apple’s latest earnings call, telling analysts the company is excited about its AI roadmap. He emphasized that Apple will continue to build some of its own models but said partnerships will play a role.
That’s a different tone from just a couple of years ago, when Apple seemed caught off guard by the AI boom. It launched Apple Intelligence with on-device features like custom emoji and writing tools, but those efforts were often seen as lagging behind what rivals like OpenAI and Google had already delivered.
Now, with Anthropic in the mix and WWDC approaching on June 9, Apple is laying the groundwork for a more open and flexible AI strategy. The company that once insisted on going it alone is beginning to see the value in collaboration.
