Apple has revealed plans to use real user data, in a privacy-preserving way, to improve its AI models. The company has acknowledged that synthetic data alone is not producing reliable results, particularly in training large language models that power tools like Writing Tools and notification summaries.

To address this, Apple will compare AI-generated content with real emails from users who have opted in to share Device Analytics. The sampled emails remain on the user's device, with only a signal sent to Apple about which AI-generated message most closely matches real-world usage.

The move reflects broader efforts to boost the performance of Apple Intelligence, a suite of features that includes message recaps and content summaries.

Apple has faced internal criticism over slow progress, particularly with Siri, which is now seen as falling behind competitors like Google Gemini and Samsung's Galaxy AI. The tech giant recently confirmed that meaningful AI updates for Siri won't arrive until 2026, despite earlier promises of a rollout later this year.

In a rare leadership shakeup, Apple CEO Tim Cook removed AI chief John Giannandrea from overseeing Siri after delays were labelled 'ugly and embarrassing' by senior executives.

The responsibility for Siri's future has been handed to Mike Rockwell, the creator of Vision Pro, who now reports directly to software chief Craig Federighi. Giannandrea will continue to lead Apple's other AI initiatives.