AI Lattice / Interface
Who owns the front door to AI?
A model only matters if people can reach it. Reaching them takes a door: a search box, a phone, an app, an office suite. This page maps who owns each door, whose model answers behind it, who pays whom, and how the arrangement could be lost.
Evidence as of 2026-11-04, the newest record on this page. 13 doors, each with a source. This is the Interface layer of the map: who controls how people reach AI.
A selection, not a full count. Model makers with at least one row: Anthropic, OpenAI, Google DeepMind (Gemini), Amazon (AWS), Microsoft, SpaceXAI (xAI), Apple, Meta, Moonshot (Kimi). Reach figures use each company's own definition of a user and are never added together.
Our answer
Google, OpenAI and Anthropic each own a door and are carried through doors others own. OpenAI and Anthropic each appear on five doors they do not own.
In this selection Google, OpenAI and Anthropic each have doors of their own and are also carried on doors other companies own. Google has two of its own (search and the Gemini app) and is carried on three others: preinstalled on Samsung phones, and offered in GitHub Copilot and Cursor. It also co-developed the Apple models behind Siri AI and runs part of them on its cloud, but the model and the door are Apple's. OpenAI has one (the ChatGPT app) and is carried on five. Anthropic has one (its apps and Claude Code) and is carried on five.
The doors that carry several model makers, Microsoft's Copilot and GitHub, Cursor, Alexa+ and Amazon Bedrock, belong to companies that make models too, and they choose the model, often request by request. A model maker that reaches people through those doors can be routed around by the owner.
The pattern in this selection: 6 doors run only on the owner's own model, 5 mix own and rented models, and 2 rent another company's model outright. Where money terms are on record, the door owner is paid for placement, as with Google's payments to Apple for search and to Samsung for preinstalling Gemini. Most terms are not disclosed.
What this page cannot yet show is how many people come through each door. Companies count in different ways (weekly, monthly or daily users, paid seats, devices), and several doors have no company user count at all, so this is a map of who controls access, not a ranking by audience.
This section is exmxc's judgment. The record it rests on follows, with sources.
13
Doors mapped
Products and screens through which people reach a model.
6
Own model
I001, I002, I005, I006, I007, I013
5
Own and rented
I008, I009, I010, I011, I012
2
Rented model
I003, I004
The balance: owned versus rented reach
For each model maker, the doors in this selection where its model runs on its own product, and the doors where another company rents it. Counts of doors, not of users.
| Model maker | On its own doors | Rented by others |
|---|---|---|
| Anthropic | 1 I013 | 5 I008, I009, I010, I011, I012 |
| OpenAI | 1 I005 | 5 I003, I008, I009, I010, I012 |
| Google DeepMind (Gemini) | 2 I001, I006 | 3 I004, I009, I010 |
| Amazon (AWS) | 2 I011, I012 | 0 |
| Microsoft | 2 I008, I009 | 0 |
| SpaceXAI (xAI) | 1 I010 | 1 I009 |
| Apple | 1 I002 | 0 |
| Meta | 1 I007 | 0 |
| Moonshot (Kimi) | 0 | 1 I009 |
The other side: who owns the doors
For each door owner, its doors in this selection, whose models it carries, and which way money is recorded to flow. Where no source discloses the terms, it says so.
| Door owner | Doors | Its own models | Models it rents | Who pays whom |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amazon (AWS) | 2 I011, I012 | Amazon (AWS) | Anthropic, OpenAI | Not disclosed |
| Apple | 2 I002, I003 | Apple | OpenAI | Apple and Google: not disclosed; Not disclosed |
| Google (Alphabet) | 2 I001, I006 | Google DeepMind (Gemini) | None | Google pays distributors; Own product |
| Microsoft | 2 I008, I009 | Microsoft | OpenAI, Anthropic, Google DeepMind (Gemini), Moonshot (Kimi), SpaceXAI (xAI) | Not disclosed |
| Anthropic | 1 I013 | Anthropic | None | Own product |
| Meta | 1 I007 | Meta | None | Own product |
| OpenAI | 1 I005 | OpenAI | None | Own product |
| Samsung | 1 I004 | None | Google DeepMind (Gemini) | Google paid Samsung (from January 2025) |
| SpaceXAI (xAI) | 1 I010 | SpaceXAI (xAI) | Anthropic, OpenAI, Google DeepMind (Gemini) | Not disclosed |
Search and the phone
The oldest doors: the search box, the phone's assistant and the phone maker's defaults.
| Door and owner | Model behind it | Reach | Who pays whom | How it could be lost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Google Search, with AI Overviews and AI Modeowned by Googlelast record 2026-11-04 | Gemini own | AI Mode: more than 1 billion monthly active users (company figure). | Who pays whom: Google pays distributors. Google pays device and browser makers for search placement. The court record put its payment to Apple at $20 billion in 2022. | How it could be lost: The final judgment, which generally runs six years from its effective date, restricts exclusive contracts, tying and covered paid placement in the United States, and generally limits covered paid-placement agreements to one year. The government has cross-appealed, seeking to stop search-distribution payments; Google has appealed the ruling against it; Apple has filed in support of the payments. Google, 2026-07-22 9to5Mac (reporting the court's opinion), 2024-08-05 US Department of Justice, 2025-12-05 US Department of Justice, 2026-10-29 MacRumors, 2026-05-22 PYMNTS, 2026-11-04 |
| Siri AI on iPhone, iPad and Macowned by Applelast record 2026-10-26 | Apple Foundation Models, co-developed with Google own | No Siri user count published. Device base: more than 2.5 billion active Apple devices in January 2026 (company figure); not all of them run Siri AI. | Who pays whom: Apple and Google: not disclosed. Apple's own model on Apple's own door, with Google in the supply chain: Apple says it co-developed its third-generation foundation models with Google and runs AFM 3 Cloud Pro on Google Cloud. The multi-year collaboration was announced in January 2026; financial terms were not disclosed. Bloomberg reported in November 2025, while the deal was being negotiated, a proposed payment of about $1 billion a year. | How it could be lost: Apple owns the door and the model; Google supplies co-development and cloud under a contract. Apple widened Siri AI to more languages in October 2026. Siri AI is not a Gemini chatbot served inside Siri. Apple Machine Learning Research, 2026-06-08 Google, 2026-01-12 Bloomberg, 2025-11-05 Apple Newsroom, 2026-10-26 Apple Newsroom, 2026-01-29 |
| The ChatGPT extension in Siri and Apple Intelligenceowned by Applelast record 2026-05-06 | ChatGPT rented | No figure published. Bloomberg reported in May 2026 that usage had been lower than Apple and OpenAI expected. | Who pays whom: Not disclosed. An optional extension that users switch on; Siri can then pass questions to ChatGPT. Terms not disclosed. | How it could be lost: Bloomberg reported in March 2026 that Apple planned to open Siri to other chatbots with iOS 27, ending ChatGPT's exclusive place. Apple's iOS 27 guide documents the ChatGPT extension (undated page; checked November 11, 2026). Apple Support, undated page, checked 2026-11-11 MacRumors (reporting Bloomberg), 2026-03-26 iClarified (reporting Bloomberg), 2026-05-06 |
| Gemini preinstalled on Samsung Galaxy phonesowned by Samsunglast record 2026-01-05 | Gemini rented | No count for Gemini preinstallation itself. Broader context: Samsung said its Galaxy AI suite, largely powered by Gemini, had rolled out to about 400 million mobile devices by the end of 2025, and set a target of 800 million in 2026 (rollout figures for the whole suite, devices not users). | Who pays whom: Google paid Samsung (from January 2025). Court testimony reported by Bloomberg in April 2025 showed Google paying Samsung, from January 2025, to preinstall the Gemini app; the amounts were described as enormous sums. Whether those terms still apply is not on record. | How it could be lost: Default-assistant placement is a separate question from the payment. The final judgment's limits on exclusivity and covered paid placement reach Google's distribution deals for Gemini. Bloomberg, 2025-04-21 US Department of Justice, 2025-12-05 Reuters, 2026-01-05 |
Chat and social apps
Apps people open on purpose, owned by the company whose model answers.
| Door and owner | Model behind it | Reach | Who pays whom | How it could be lost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The ChatGPT appowned by OpenAIlast record 2026-09-29 | GPT models own | 1.2 billion weekly users (company figure, September 29, 2026). | Who pays whom: Own product. OpenAI's own app. On phones it is distributed through Apple's and Google's app stores. | How it could be lost: No contract to lose. OpenAI has no phone, browser default or operating system of its own in this selection. OpenAI, 2026-09-29 |
| The Gemini appowned by Googlelast record 2026-10-28 | Gemini own | Passed one billion users (company figure, Q3 2026 earnings call). | Who pays whom: Own product. Google's own app, also distributed through preinstallation deals such as Samsung's. | How it could be lost: The final judgment's limits on exclusivity and covered paid placement apply to the Gemini app's distribution deals. Alphabet, 2026-10-28 US Department of Justice, 2025-12-05 |
| Meta AI and the Muse agent, inside Facebook, Instagram and WhatsAppowned by Metalast record 2026-10-21 | Meta's own models own | More than 10 million US and Canadian Muse accounts (company figure). Company-wide context, not use of this door: Meta's apps reach 3.64 billion people daily. | Who pays whom: Own product. Meta's own apps. Muse was promoted through house ads on Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp. | How it could be lost: No contract to lose. The door is Meta's own apps. KSAT (AP), 2026-10-21 MediaPost, 2026-10-21 TechCrunch, 2026-09-25 |
| The Claude apps and Claude Codeowned by Anthropiclast record 2026-10-26 | Claude own | No user count published by Anthropic. Outside estimate for the Claude assistant only: about 245 million monthly users across web and mobile in May 2026 (Sensor Tower). No reach figure for Claude Code. Company-wide context, not use of this door: more than 11,900 customers paying $100,000 or more a year at September 30, 2026 (company filing). | Who pays whom: Own product. Anthropic's own apps and coding tool, sold directly to people and businesses. | How it could be lost: No contract to lose. Anthropic / SEC, 2026-10-26 TechCrunch (reporting Sensor Tower), 2026-06-16 |
Work and coding tools
Office suites, coding tools and cloud model catalogues, where the door owner picks the model, often per request.
| Door and owner | Model behind it | Reach | Who pays whom | How it could be lost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Microsoft 365 Copilotowned by Microsoftlast record 2026-10-29 | GPT models rented Claude rented Microsoft's own models own |
More than 30 million paid seats at June 30, 2026 (company figure); the October results gave no seat update. | Who pays whom: Not disclosed. Microsoft sells the seats and chooses the model. It added Anthropic's Claude beside OpenAI's models; 90 percent of Copilot queries use an automatic mode that routes each task across models (company statement). | How it could be lost: Microsoft can shift work between model makers request by request, without the user seeing it. Directions on Microsoft, 2026-01-29 The Motley Fool, 2026-08-07 ROIC.ai, 2026-10-28 UC Today, 2026-10-29 |
| GitHub Copilotowned by Microsoft (GitHub)last record 2026-08-14 | GPT models rented Claude rented Gemini rented Kimi rented Grok rented Microsoft's own models own |
50 million users (company figure, July 29, 2026 call); over 4.7 million paid subscribers (company figure, January 28, 2026 call). | Who pays whom: Not disclosed. GitHub picks the models offered. Free and student users get only automatic selection; paid users can also hand tasks to Anthropic's and OpenAI's own coding agents. The models shown are a selection as of GitHub's August 13 and 14, 2026 changelogs (Kimi K3 and Microsoft's MAI-Code on August 13, Grok 4.6 on August 14); the list changes often. | How it could be lost: GitHub retires and swaps models on a published schedule. GitHub Changelog, 2026-08-13 GitHub Changelog, 2026-08-14 The New Stack, 2026-02-04 Microsoft Investor Relations, 2026-07-29 Microsoft Investor Relations, 2026-01-28 |
| Cursorowned by SpaceXAI (since August 14, 2026)last record 2026-08-14 | Grok and Composer, its owner's own own Claude rented GPT models rented Gemini rented |
No current user count published. More than 50,000 enterprises (company website, checked November 11, 2026). Older figure: more than 1 million daily users, reported by Bloomberg in April 2025. Commercial scale: more than $4 billion of annualized revenue on June 8, 2026, as reported by Forbes citing one unnamed source. | Who pays whom: Not disclosed. Cursor offers its owner's Grok and Cursor's own Composer models beside third-party models, as listed on Cursor's documentation page (undated; checked November 11, 2026); the list changes often. Composer was trained from Moonshot's open-source Kimi as a base checkpoint, which is model lineage, not a model Cursor rents to users. | How it could be lost: The door now belongs to a company that makes competing models and can steer users to them. SpaceX (SEC filing), 2026-08-14 Cursor documentation, undated page, checked 2026-11-11 Cursor, 2026-05 Forbes, 2026-06-08 Bloomberg, 2025-04-07 Cursor, undated page, checked 2026-11-11 |
| Alexa+owned by Amazonlast record 2026-10-29 | Amazon Nova own Claude rented |
Tens of millions of Alexa+ customers (company figure, January 5, 2026). Separate context: Alexa for Shopping, which combined Alexa+ and Rufus for shopping in May 2026, was used by more than 400 million customers in the 12 months to October 2026 (company figure); that is a broader shopping product, not Alexa+ alone. | Who pays whom: Not disclosed. Amazon reaches Claude through its own Bedrock service and still lists both Nova and Anthropic models behind Alexa+. Amazon is Anthropic's largest investor. | How it could be lost: Business Insider reported in July 2026 internal plans to route more Alexa+ requests to Amazon's own models and call Claude less, to cut cost. Amazon, 2026-01-05 Amazon, 2026-02 Anthropic, 2025-02-26 Business Insider, 2026-07 Amazon, 2026-10-29 |
| Amazon Bedrock (cloud model catalogue)owned by Amazonlast record 2026-10-29 | GPT models rented Claude rented Amazon Nova own |
Usage, not users: total Bedrock token volume grew nearly 17 times year over year (company figure, October 2026). No customer count in the latest results. | Who pays whom: Not disclosed. OpenAI's models became generally available on Bedrock after Microsoft's exclusive rights ended. | How it could be lost: The model maker can sell the same models through every major cloud. Amazon, 2026-09-08 Anthropic, 2025-02-26 Amazon, 2026-10-29 |
How to read this page
What counts as a row
One door: a product or screen through which people reach a model, with a dated source for who owns it and whose model runs behind it.
Own and rented
A model is own when the door's owner made it, rented when another company supplies it. A door can carry both.
Reach
Each company counts users its own way: weekly, monthly, daily or paid seats. The figures are shown as given and never added together.
Who may sell and build: Who is allowed to do what in AI? The money: Does the AI money add up? Download as interface.csv.