Apple Said to Turn to Google Gemini for Major Siri AI Upgrade
Key Points
- Apple plans to power Siri with a custom Google Gemini model.
- The partnership involves running Gemini on Apple’s private cloud.
- Gemini Live is touted as a top‑tier AI voice assistant on smartphones.
- Integration could enable Siri to handle web searches and complex queries more effectively.
- Apple’s decision follows an internal bake‑off between Anthropic and Google.
- The move aligns Siri’s capabilities with those seen on Android flagship devices.
- Apple aims to boost its Apple Intelligence strategy without building a model from scratch.
Apple is reportedly planning a significant AI overhaul for Siri by partnering with Google’s Gemini model. Insider Mark Gurman says Apple will pay Google to create a custom Gemini‑based model that runs on Apple’s private cloud, offering features such as AI‑powered web search and deeper integration with Apple apps. The move follows an internal bake‑off between Anthropic and Google, with Apple choosing Gemini for financial and strategic reasons. If true, the upgrade could bring a more capable voice assistant to iPhone users, aligning Siri with the capabilities seen in Android’s top AI assistants.
Background
According to top industry reporter Mark Gurman, Apple is preparing a major upgrade to Siri that will rely on Google’s Gemini artificial‑intelligence model. The report states that Apple has selected Gemini after an internal evaluation that compared Anthropic’s offering with Google’s technology. While Anthropic’s model was deemed superior in some respects, Apple ultimately decided that Google made more sense financially, partly because of the existing relationship between the two companies.
Partnership Details
Apple is said to be paying Google to develop a custom Gemini‑based model that can operate on Apple’s private cloud infrastructure. This arrangement would allow Siri to tap into Gemini’s advanced capabilities while keeping data processing within Apple’s controlled environment. Gurman notes that the partnership is unlikely to be publicly discussed, and Apple does not plan to flood Siri with overt Google branding.
Potential Benefits for Siri
The Gemini model, described in the source as “best in class,” brings several features that could dramatically improve Siri’s performance. Gemini Live is highlighted as a leading AI‑powered voice assistant on smartphones, offering more natural conversation and better contextual understanding than existing solutions. Additionally, Gemini already integrates with Google services such as Gmail and Calendar, suggesting that a similar level of integration could be extended to Apple’s own apps like Mail, Notes, and Calendar.
By leveraging Gemini, Siri could gain the ability to answer complex queries, perform web searches with AI assistance, and provide more accurate, context‑aware responses. This would align Siri’s capabilities with those of Android’s flagship devices that already use Gemini, potentially smoothing the AI experience for users who switch between platforms.
Strategic Implications
The move reflects Apple’s broader effort to accelerate its “Apple Intelligence” strategy, which has faced criticism for lagging behind competitors. Incorporating Gemini could provide a near‑term solution that delivers a smarter voice assistant without the need for Apple to develop its own large‑scale model from scratch. The existing partnership between Apple and Google—most notably Google Search being the default engine on Safari—suggests a level of operational familiarity that could ease integration.
Overall, the reported collaboration points to a pragmatic approach: Apple leverages a proven AI model to enhance Siri while maintaining control over data and user experience through its private cloud.