Analysts believe that Apple is planning to launch a new AI agent system similar to OpenClaw, and will expand it to multiple software platforms such as iPhone, iPad and Mac in the future. As a personalized intelligent agent tool, it may even be provided through a flexible subscription method, becoming a new selling point of the company's service business.
Recently, AI agent tools such as OpenClaw have triggered a rush in the market. Many users hope to use such software to automate a large number of repetitive and trivial operational tasks to save time and energy. The report pointed out that with the advantages of self-developed hardware such as unified memory architecture, Apple has a unique foundation in this field and has the opportunity to create system-level AI agent capabilities similar to OpenClaw, Codex or Cursor to further enhance the existing Siri AI experience. Currently, many AI agent tools are still limited by the number of calls, the number of tasks, and the subscription threshold. Apple may use its layout in the service business to avoid these pain points.
According to Bloomberg reporter Mark Gurman, in the long run, Apple is very likely to build an OpenClaw competitor that can "comprehensive control of the software on behalf of the user", so that it can run across devices on iPhone, iPad and Mac, and perform various operations for users in a more deeply integrated way with the system. Currently, most AI agents adopt a "free basic use + advanced subscription" model. After reaching the free request limit, users need to pay a subscription fee to continue large-scale use. The report speculates that Apple may not charge additional monthly fees for this type of AI agent separately in the future, but integrate it into existing subscription bundles such as Apple One to enhance the attractiveness of the service with a logic of "you are already subscribing, you can use it unlimitedly".
However, Gurman also emphasized that this idea is still a long way from being implemented, and there are many key variables in the process, among which security and privacy are the core challenges. Currently, AI agents such as OpenClaw and Codex must obtain user authorization before making changes to system files or registry. In most cases, the system locks key permissions by default to prevent unauthorized operations. However, users can proactively relax restrictions and give the agent full access to the entire computer. This may not only lead to accidentally deleting files, but also risks sensitive data being leaked and stolen.
The report pointed out that for Apple, it is important to build large data centers and design a new generation of self-developed chips with sufficient unified memory, but the real thorny issue is how to make the AI agent still have strong enough usability and automation capabilities under the premise of "strong privacy protection." If Apple is too conservative in terms of permissions and privacy control, it may significantly weaken the agent's capabilities, causing users who are willing to take higher risks and open their permissions to third-party agents to continue to choose existing solutions such as OpenClaw. On the other hand, if Apple excessively relaxes its system permissions and allows agents to operate with a high degree of freedom on user devices, once an incident such as an agent's "out of control" handling of sensitive data or credentials occurs, it will not only trigger a serious public relations crisis, but also impact its long-term privacy brand image.
Gurman believes that if Apple finally enters this field, the plan will most likely adopt a more controllable and hierarchical authorization method, and gradually open up more complex automation capabilities while ensuring the bottom line of security. The report commented that Apple is often "late" in many new technological directions, but as long as it ultimately presents a highly polished, unified experience, safe and controllable product matrix, late entry is not a fatal problem for it. In addition, if this type of AI agent is packaged into subscription systems such as Apple One in the future, it is expected to become another new reason for users to choose Mac, iPhone, and iPad, further consolidating its ecological advantages of integrating software, hardware, and services.