Apple fined, doubles on AI

OFSI imposed a £390,000 monetary penalty on Apple Distribution International Ltd. on 19 March 2026 under section 146 of the Policing and Crime Act, naming ADI as the legal entity responsible for the breach. (gov.uk) The breach involved ADI making funds available in relation to payments tied to the Russian streaming service Okko after Okko’s assets were transferred to JSC New Opportunities, a designated person, following Sberbank’s earlier designation. (assets.publishing.service.gov.uk) OFSI recorded that ADI voluntarily disclosed the payments on 4 October 2022, received a Notice of Intention to impose a penalty on 11 November 2025, submitted representations on 5 January 2026, and entered formal settlement discussions on 16 February 2026 under a new enforcement framework introduced on 9 February 2026. (assets.publishing.service.gov.uk) Apple’s public response, as reported by outlets summarizing the company’s statement, stressed that ADI proactively reported the issue to UK authorities and that Apple Inc. itself was not found in breach. (politico.eu) Separately, Bloomberg reports Apple is pivoting its AI approach toward leveraging hardware and the App Store — unveiling a strategy at WWDC on June 8, 2026 that centers on iOS 27 “Extensions” to let third-party AI chatbots run inside Siri. (bloomberg.com) Under that plan, Apple will create a dedicated section for AI integrations in the App Store (an “AI App Store”), allow apps like Google’s Gemini and Anthropic’s Claude to power Siri responses, and lean on partnerships (including use of Gemini) rather than trying to outpace rivals with a standalone AI leader. (bloomberg.com) Bloomberg also says the company has offered rare retention bonuses to iPhone designers amid poaching pressure from AI firms and is positioning third-party AI subscriptions as a services revenue opportunity tied to its hardware ecosystem. (bloomberg.com)