Apple released a major update to its Foundation Model Framework (FMF) which enables app developers to integrate advanced AI models in 3 ways:
- Apple’s smaller on-device models
- Apple’s larger models in the privacy-safe PCC environment
- Routing to the externally hosted Claude or Gemini models
But the latter needs consent, which will disincentivize their usage due to possible low opt-in rates.
Eric Seufert speculated back in February that it could also be a monetization opportunity for Apple:
A more pertinent question is, perhaps: if Apple is able to dissuade developers from utilizing third-party AI services through the consent requirement, but accessing models hosted via PCC does not require consent, will Apple be able to charge a revenue share for “default AI status” at some point, as it does with default search engine status in Safari?
Put another way: if the only way to host a model in PCC is to enter into some sort of partnership with Apple, could Apple charge a revenue share on API-based token usage for the frontier models it allows into its PCC environment? Apple currently pays Google for the privilege of using Gemini, but I imagine that it’d prefer that money flow in the other direction. Apple may be setting the stage for a revenue opportunity in in-app AI usage by creating a consent distinction between models hosted via PCC through a partnership with Apple and those that aren’t.
This approach differs from five years ago when Apple only destroyed the market value of Meta and other ad networks by introducing ATT.
While they also provided publishers with a workaround around SKAN limitations by using their own ASA network, they did not secure the majority of marketing budgets because ASA was (and still is) challenging to scale in most categories.
Perhaps Apple can capitalize on its gatekeeper position more effectively this time.