Apple is preparing the most dramatic overhaul in Siri’s history, turning the familiar voice assistant into a full AI chatbot that can hold conversations, generate content, and understand context across apps. Instead of relying solely on its own models, the company is reportedly leaning on Google’s Gemini system to power this next-generation experience. The move signals that Apple is willing to partner with a rival to catch up in the generative AI race that has reshaped expectations in the wake of OpenAI’s ChatGPT.
The stakes are high: Siri is built into hundreds of millions of iPhones, iPads, and Macs, yet it has long lagged behind newer chatbots in flexibility and intelligence. By wiring Gemini into Siri and related “Apple Intelligence” features, Apple is effectively betting that deep integration and tight hardware control can still differentiate its ecosystem, even if the core model comes from Google.
The Gemini deal that reshapes Siri
Apple has mostly stood on the sidelines of the AI frenzy that has captivated Wall Street since the launch of OpenAI’s ChatGPT, but that posture is changing as it taps Google’s Gemini to supercharge Siri. Reporting indicates that Apple is teaming up with Google so Gemini models can run an AI-powered version of Siri, a shift that would bring the kind of large language model capabilities users now expect from modern assistants directly into Apple’s ecosystem. Those same reports describe how Apple, which had been experimenting with its own models, ultimately decided Gemini was mature enough to anchor a broad consumer rollout, underscoring how far generative AI has moved from lab demos to core platform infrastructure, as reflected in detailed coverage of Apple.
The partnership is not a casual integration but a multiyear arrangement that positions Gemini as the engine behind a revamped Siri experience. One account describes Apple picking Google’s Gemini to power a new Siri in 2026, characterizing the agreement as a major realignment in consumer AI and noting that Apple has entered a multi-year deal that reflects growing optimism around Google’s AI strategy. That framing suggests Apple is not treating Gemini as a temporary stopgap but as a strategic pillar, with Gemini effectively becoming part of the foundation of Apple’s AI roadmap.
From voice assistant to full AI chatbot
The core of the shift is conceptual as much as technical: Siri is being reimagined from a relatively rigid voice assistant into an AI chatbot that behaves more like ChatGPT. Reports describe Apple planning a big Siri overhaul that will transform the assistant into a chatbot built directly into the iPhone and other devices, capable of richer back-and-forth conversations and more complex tasks than the current command-and-response model. That evolution aligns with user expectations shaped by generative AI tools and is explicitly framed as Apple’s answer to the new standard set by conversational systems, with Siri positioned as the company’s primary interface for those capabilities.
Like that updated version of Siri, the dedicated chatbot experience is expected to use a custom Google Gemini AI model as part of the multiyear partnership, rather than a generic off-the-shelf configuration. That suggests Apple will tune Gemini to its own privacy rules, UI conventions, and hardware constraints, potentially blending cloud processing with on-device intelligence. The emphasis on a custom Gemini setup indicates Apple is trying to preserve its brand of controlled, integrated design even as it relies on an external model, a balance highlighted in reporting that the new chatbot will be powered by a tailored Google Gemini AI configuration.
How deeply Gemini will sit inside Apple’s stack
Under the hood, Apple’s embrace of Gemini appears to be both broad and layered. One detailed account notes that Apple is teaming up with Google to use Gemini models for an AI-powered Siri, after reports in August that Apple was in early talks about such a deal, and explicitly ties the move to the surge of interest that followed the launch of OpenAI’s ChatGPT. That same reporting underscores that Apple is not simply adding another search provider but is weaving Gemini into the core of Siri’s reasoning and language capabilities, with Google effectively becoming a behind-the-scenes AI supplier.
Other reports go further, stating that the next-generation Siri will explicitly run on Google Gemini and that Apple’s decision to lean on Google’s artificial intelligence will shape not only Siri but a wider set of “Apple Intelligence” features. One account explains that the report explicitly mentioned Google Gemini will power Siri and that this choice will influence the design of future Apple Intelligence capabilities, suggesting a deep architectural dependency. That framing makes clear that Gemini is not just a bolt-on chatbot but a core component of Apple’s AI layer, with Google Gemini expected to sit at the heart of how Siri understands and generates language.
What the new Siri chatbot will actually do
Functionally, the revamped Siri is being described as a full-spectrum assistant that can move far beyond timers and weather checks. One guide to the upcoming chatbot lists a wide range of capabilities: it will be able to search the web for information, generate images, generate content, summarize information, analyze uploaded files, and use personal data and on-device content, replacing Spotlight as the primary way to find things on Apple devices. That set of features reads like a checklist of what users now expect from modern AI tools, and it suggests Siri will become the front door not only to voice commands but to search, creativity, and productivity, with Search the and other tasks consolidated into a single conversational interface.
Apple is also said to be designing a feature that will let the Siri chatbot view open windows and on-screen content, as well as interact with apps more intelligently. That capability would allow Siri to, for example, read a PDF open in Preview, summarize a long email thread in Mail, or help draft a response in Messages based on the conversation history, all without the user manually copying and pasting text. The same reporting notes that this visual and contextual awareness is being developed alongside other AI projects, including an Apple AI Pin that has faced a heavily delayed launch, underscoring how central Apple sees ambient AI assistants to its future hardware and software, as described in coverage of Apple.
iOS 27, device integration, and Google’s servers
The software rollout plan gives a sense of how ambitious the upgrade will be. One report states that with iOS 27, Siri will finally get its long-awaited AI makeover and turn into more of a chatbot à la ChatGPT, with Apple reportedly planning to integrate the assistant more deeply into system functions. That same account notes that Apple will replace the current Spotlight search with the new AI-driven experience and argues that this could give Apple a big advantage over its rivals if the implementation feels seamless across iPhone, iPad, and Mac. The framing of iOS 27 as the moment when Siri becomes a true chatbot underscores how central this release is to Apple’s AI story.
Behind the scenes, Apple is considering a significant shift in how it operates Siri by potentially running parts of the chatbot on Google servers. One detailed report explains that Apple is weighing a model where some Siri processing happens in Google’s cloud, while other tasks run on high-end Mac chips for processing, reflecting a hybrid approach that balances performance and privacy. The same account notes that this would be a notable change from Apple’s traditional emphasis on keeping as much processing as possible on-device, and it highlights internal debates about how to split workloads between local hardware and remote infrastructure, with Apple evaluating the trade-offs of relying on Google servers.
