Apple’s next version of Siri could be powered in part by Google’s Gemini AI, according to a report from Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman. The move would mark a major expansion of Apple’s AI strategy and signal a rare collaboration between the two long-time rivals.
The report from Bloomberg suggests that the newer Siri will ‘lean on Google’s Gemini model’ to provide the advanced functionality of AI-powered web search and more natural conversations. The assistant will reportedly use Apple’s own on-device intelligence combined with Google’s large-scale models through the company’s Private Cloud Compute infrastructure, all designed to keep user data secure and private.
Apple CEO Tim Cook has recently confirmed that the company will expand its Apple Intelligence ecosystem to include more AI providers, beyond OpenAI’s ChatGPT, which is already integrated into Siri.
Apple has been internally testing two different versions of the new Siri-one entirely derived from Apple’s AI models, and another that relies on Gemini. According to the report, Apple’s internally developed model still lags behind expectations, making the company resort to Google’s technology to fill the performance gap.
During the WWDC 2024 event, Apple introduced its new product, Apple Intelligence, and presented it as a game-changer with its capabilities, including Genmoji, AI writing tools, and ChatGPT integration.
However, the company postponed the full relaunch of Siri, which was rumored to be part of the iOS 18 package. After a decision to reconstruct Siri for more reliable performance and context understanding, Apple’s struggle for personal assistant superiority was prolonged.
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Google Gemini already powers smart assistant features on Android, including context awareness, multitasking, and integration with third-party apps. According to Bloomberg’s report, Gemini might manage Siri’s query planning and response summarization, but it could also support its knowledge search system.
All these features will operate on Apple’s Private Cloud Compute, maintaining its privacy-first philosophy.
9to5Mac suggests that Apple won’t necessarily advertise the fact that it’s using Google’s technology. Apple might instead use Gemini behind the scenes, similar to how Samsung’s Galaxy AI uses Gemini but keeps the branding all about its own ecosystem.
If the partnership goes forward, it could give Apple the generative AI breakthrough it has been racing to achieve with a Siri powered by Gemini.