According to a Wall Street Journal report, Apple is on track to surpass the $1 billion AI revenue mark next year. However, this revenue does not come from Apple’s own AI technology, but from App Store fees paid by apps such as ChatGPT, Grok, Claude, and Gemini.

Data from analytics firm AppMagic shows that generative AI apps paid Apple nearly $900 million in 2025. Around 75% of that came from ChatGPT, while roughly 5% was generated by xAI’s Grok. Monthly revenue grew from about $35 million in January 2025 to a peak of $101 million in August, before declining again, partly due to slowing ChatGPT downloads.

The iPhone as a toll road for AI providers

Apple’s leverage is straightforward: regardless of how advanced OpenAI, Google, or Anthropic make their chatbots, the iPhone remains a critical distribution channel. This allows Apple to collect its so-called App Store tax — about 30% of subscription revenue in the first year, and 15% thereafter.

While apps can redirect users to external websites for subscriptions, ChatGPT, for example, does not offer pricing incentives to encourage that shift.

Investor Charles Rinehart from Johnson Asset Management sees this as a structural advantage: if Apple acts as a “toll road” for AI providers, the company can benefit long-term without matching the massive capital expenditures of competitors. Apple’s spending on chips and data centers remains only a fraction of what companies like Amazon, Microsoft, Alphabet, and Meta invest.

Weakness in Apple’s own AI efforts

However, this positioning also highlights weaknesses in Apple’s internal AI development. Siri still relies on outdated technology, and its next iteration — after multiple internal delays — is expected to rely in part on Google’s Gemini.

The departure of AI chief John Giannandrea was reported last year, signaling internal challenges. Meanwhile, OpenAI is attempting to reduce its dependence on Apple’s ecosystem, including through the acquisition of a hardware startup led by former Apple chief designer Jony Ive.