Apple engineers face tighter limits on the artificial intelligence services available for their daily work, with some allowances already reduced and further cuts planned for selected teams.
The changes are part of broader cost-cutting efforts led by Apple’s chief executive, John Ternus.
Some engineers have had their daily AI spending cap lowered from $300 to $200. Apple is planning further reductions for some engineering teams, potentially taking their daily allowances to $100.
The company has also considered a cap as low as $25 for some teams. Many groups outside engineering already have a $100 daily limit.
Employees can use several AI services, including Anthropic’s Claude, OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Google’s Gemini. Some teams are being encouraged to switch to less expensive models or models that run locally on their devices, a choice aimed at lowering costs.
Workers whose jobs require higher allowances will be able to ask senior leadership for exemptions.
Employee reactions have been mixed. Some see the reduced limits as a broader cost-cutting signal, which has added to concerns about possible layoffs.
The savings are difficult to judge from the limits alone, because few workers had been using their full $300 daily allowance.
Apple reported fiscal Q4 2026 R&D expenses of $45.8 billion, up 32%, driven partly by higher infrastructure and AI costs.
The restrictions therefore give Apple a way to curb internal AI usage costs while retaining an exemption route for work that requires greater access. How much the new caps will save remains unclear.
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