Apple Intelligence AI will not arrive in Europe in 2024

Apple said on Friday that it will not make three recently announced features, including its flagship AI product “Apple Intelligence,” available in the European Union in 2024 due to “regulatory uncertainty” arising from antitrust rules under the Digital Markets Act.

Apple said in a statement that these features – Apple Intelligence, iPhone Mirroring and improvements to its SharePlay screen sharing product – will not be available to EU customers due to Apple’s belief that “DMA interoperability requirements may force us to compromise” the integrity of our products in a way that threatens user privacy and data security.”

The EU adopted the DMA in 2023 amid concerns that several large technology companies such as AmazonApple, Alphabet, Meta, Microsoft and TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance, acted as gatekeepers, preventing smaller companies from competing. DMA requires, among other things, that core functionalities work on competing devices and ecosystems.

Interoperability requirements apply to iPhones and iPads. However, DMA applies to Mac computers as iPhone Mirroring allows users to replicate their iPhone screen to their Mac screen.

The loss of a company’s AI product could be a disappointment for consumers. Apple Intelligence can check text and even rewrite it in a friendly or professional tone. It can create custom emojis called Genmoji, search your iPhone for specific messages from a person, summarize and transcribe phone calls, and display priority notifications. The company also announced a partnership with OpenAI and a roadmap to add other models to the platform.

Apple shares remained largely flat following the news. Apple reported 2023 net sales in Europe of $94.3 billion, representing just under a quarter of its global net sales. Apple Intelligence also won’t be available in Greater China, where 2023 sales were $72.6 billion.

The company said it would work with the European Union “to try to find a solution that would enable us to deliver these features to our customers in the EU without compromising their security.”