Apple Partners with Google on $1B AI Deal to Power Enhanced Siri

New Siri rumor could give Apple and users exactly what they need - 9to5Mac

Siri's delayed AI upgrades are still expected to ship next spring in iOS 26.4, and a new report this week about Google's tech powering the features might be exactly what Apple and its users need. Apple's inability to ship the Siri upgrades it promised in iOS 18 has been embarrassing for the company. But all signs point to those enhancements coming soon, supplemented by even better improvements than what was promised. Apple Inc. is planning to use a 1.2 trillion parameter artificial intelligence model developed by Alphabet Inc.'s Google to help power its long-promised overhaul of the Siri voice assistant, according to people with knowledge of the matter. The iPhone maker is banking on Google's help to rebuild Siri's underlying technology, setting the stage for a new slate of features next year. The Google model's 1.2 trillion parameters -- a measure of the AI software's complexity -- would dwarf the level of Apple's current models. Reactions to this news have been all over the place. Some are celebrating, others are concerned about privacy implications, and still others see this deal as yet another sign of Apple's AI weakness. Personally, I lean toward optimism. While it would be great if Apple was able to deliver the best possible AI-infused Siri without outside help, that's clearly not the case right now. But by striking this deal, Apple could give itself and its users exactly what's needed. Whether you agree with the sentiment or not, there's a common belief that Apple is behind in AI. Tim Cook defended his company's AI position last year with a common Apple refrain: "Not first, but best." It's not unusual for Apple to take extra time refining and perfecting its work while competitors ship subpar offerings. Clearly though, Apple Intelligence hasn't gotten anywhere close to that "best" standard yet. But by striking this deal with Google, Apple has bought itself more time. The company has been under immense pressure to deliver its long-promised AI version of Siri. With Google's help, it will do so in just a few months. Shipping the new Siri will benefit Apple, since it can continue working away on its own in-house models with lower stakes. And it will also benefit users, who just want the best Siri product. Most users likely won't have any idea that Google's tech is powering the new Siri features -- and they wouldn't care if they did know. Apple's deal with Google reportedly ensures the company holds to its high privacy standards. So from a user standpoint, all that will matter is Siri becoming more powerful and reliable than ever. Apple can ship its major AI overhaul for Siri, delivering what users have long wanted, while continuing to work behind the scenes to improve its in-house LLMs. Everybody wins. What's your take on the Apple-Google deal to power the new Siri? Let us know in the comments.

Apple's $1B Google AI deal will be great for iPhone users. Until it's not

Apple is making the right move to get Siri back on track, but this is a core technology Apple has to be able to make, not buy. The news of Apple's pending deal with Google says a lot. While neither Apple nor Google will likely ever publicly acknowledge it outside of necessary financial disclosures, Apple fans should take note. It's a very good thing for users. And also very concerning. We should be equally pleased and worried. The deal, as it has been reported (Apple has not officially acknowledged it) will see Apple paying Google about $1B a year to use a customized version of its Gemini AI model for the new Siri, which should be released to users in the spring. The model is big and advanced, with a reported 1.2 trillion parameters, and will run on Apple's own Private Cloud Compute servers so neither Google nor anyone else gets to scoop up your data. The partnership seemingly was struck after Apple evaluated Google's AI, along with others from Anthropic and OpenAI, against its own internally developed LLM technology. As a user, this is all pretty good news. The latest versions of Gemini are among the top LLMs in the industry -- benchmarks vary, and Apple's version might not be the same as Gemini 2.5 Pro, but it's clear that Apple isn't going with a second-rate model here. Of course, talking to the new Siri won't be just like talking to Google's Gemini. For one, the voices will sound different, but they'll also have different priorities and tuning, and Siri will have access to the private data stored on your phone. You could think of it as two completely different cars that have the same engine but different options and chassis. The fact that Apple was willing to break out the checkbook to use a core technology from another company for one of its most important (and oft-maligned) features speaks volumes to a change of mindset in Cupertino. When Apple needs new core technology, it usually builds it or buys a company that already has (often both). That Apple is willing to step away from its homegrown mentality to deliver a new Siri that doesn't disappoint is worthy of applause. But Apple fans should also be wary. I'm generally critical of Apple's "Not Invented Here" ethos, where it seemingly needs to own or build everything, whether it's good for its users or not. There are lots of examples of that working out well -- it took a long time, but Apple's cellular modems and N1 networking chips give an experience at last as good as the Qualcomm and Broadcom stuff did -- , but there instances where Apple's stubbon reliance on in-house tech didn't make sense. For example, when OpenGL outlived its usefulness as a graphics API, Apple could have moved to the open Vulkan standard that replaced it, helping shape its future. Instead, it developed its own graphics API, Metal, and I'm not convinced that it was better for developers or users. I don't think Apple needed its own lossless audio format. Perhaps most notably, Google pays Apple some $20 billion a year for Google to be the default search engine for Safari. And yes, there are other search engine options, but we all know almost nobody strays from the default, which is why it's worth so much to Google. That hasn't been good for users. Google has been steadily degrading its search results experience while using the data from all those searches to consolidate its control over search and web advertising. If there's anything Apple should have invested years ago, it is building its own privacy-minded, ad-free web search. And we all know about the Apple Maps fiasco. The company's attempt to stop relying on a third-party mapping service resulted in a terrible product, ironically because that product was built with a mishmash of data that it didn't own or control. It took years for Apple to build a Maps experience using all its own data, and now that it has, the experience is top-tier. So it's clear that some core technologies Apple needs to build for itself and have total control over, while others it can and probably should find outside solutions for. A foundation AI large language model is definitely in the former category. As the years roll on, AI models are going to be part of so much more than chatbots. AI models are all over Apple's products, from cameras recognizing your gestures to image editing to notification summaries and more. But the big foundational LLM that interacts with users and does everything from controlling our devices to gathering information about the world, that's the most important AI model in the stack. Apple having its own top-tier LLM is as important as Apple controlling any other major piece of its technology stack. It's arguably going to be more important than Apple having its own web browser. It's great news that Apple recognized that its own internally developed LLM isn't good enough right now, and is willing to go to Google to solve the problem. But in the end, Apple desperately needs to catch up or surpass the technology it is buying. And it's not clear if it has the ability to do that, as competitors' LLMs continue to improve and Apple seemingly loses AI talent every week. As a user, you should be glad about the Apple-Google-Gemini-Siri AI deal. As long as it doesn't last.

Apple's AI play may hinge on Google

The big picture: Using Google's Gemini under the hood could create a stronger pocket assistant, but much will come down to how well Apple can stitch together its voice assistant with Google's technology. Driving the news: Bloomberg reports Apple is nearing a $1 billion-a-year agreement to run a custom version of Gemini on Apple servers. Between the lines: Apple laid out a compelling vision for Apple Intelligence and an improved Siri last year, but failed to deliver. * Siri still relies on Apple's in-house tech, but can hand off some questions to ChatGPT with user permission. * Apple has promised since 2024 that Siri would be able to take on a broader range of queries -- using users' private information, but only for the purpose of answering the question and in ways that even Apple itself wouldn't be able to access. * Running a custom version of Gemini on its own servers opens a big question of how much data, if any, Google will be able to access. Yes, but: Just because Gemini gets built into Siri doesn't mean that's the assistant all iPhone users will choose, even if it's the default choice. * If Gemini falls short in its capabilities, interface or privacy, people may choose -- as many do today -- to use ChatGPT or another assistant. * Expect all the AI players to keep pushing their apps, including OpenAI, Meta and even Google, which would still prefer people to use the version of Gemini that runs on its server, giving it far more data. Reality check: Apple and Google aren't commenting. Tim Cook suggested on a previous earnings call that the company needed its own frontier models, but said he considered that information proprietary. * Apple says the new Siri will arrive next year, but it has already faced multiple delays. * "We're making good progress on it, and as we've shared, we expect to release it next year," Tim Cook said last week during a call to discuss its quarterly earnings. Our thought bubble: Partnering with Google signals Apple may see less value in competing head-on in foundation model development. The bottom line: Siri, pop us some popcorn, this could get interesting.