Apple is overhauling Siri with help from Google Gemini, fusing its in-house Apple Foundation Models with one of the most powerful external AI systems on the market. The move turns a long-running rivalry into a deep technical partnership and signals that Apple is willing to license core intelligence rather than build every layer itself. It also raises sharp questions about privacy, control, and how far Apple will go to keep pace in the generative AI race.
Inside the Apple–Google Gemini deal
At the heart of the shift is a multi‑year collaboration in which Apple and Google are tying Gemini directly into the next generation of Apple Foundation Models. In a joint statement, Apple and Google describe a long‑term arrangement that lets Apple tap Gemini while still presenting the experience as part of its own platform. That framing matters, because Apple is not simply dropping a Google chatbot into iOS, it is wiring Gemini into the plumbing that will shape how Siri understands language, context, and user intent across devices.
Apple has been explicit that this partnership is the result of structured research rather than a rushed reaction. Executives have said that, after what they describe as careful internal evaluation, they concluded that Google’s technology provides the strongest foundation for Apple Foundation Models. That language underscores a strategic choice: Apple is betting that integrating Gemini at the model layer will let it move faster on features like natural conversation and reasoning, while still wrapping the experience in its own design, branding, and privacy rules.
How Gemini will change Siri
The most visible impact of this deal will be a Siri that behaves less like a rigid command interface and more like a full AI assistant. Reporting indicates that Apple plans to expand Siri into an artificial intelligence chatbot, with the company preparing to turn the assistant into a far more conversational AI chatbot later this year. That shift would move Siri closer to the behavior people now expect from tools like Gemini and other large language models, including multi‑step reasoning, follow‑up questions, and richer summaries of information.
Apple has already framed these upgrades under the broader banner of Apple Intelligence, its system for on‑device and cloud‑assisted AI features. The company says Apple Intelligence will continue to run on Apple devices and on its Private Cloud Compute infrastructure, even as new Siri capabilities are powered by Google’s Gemini. In practice, that means a user asking Siri to rewrite an email in Mail, summarize a long iMessage thread, or plan a weekend trip in Maps could be relying on Gemini‑backed reasoning, even though the interface and branding remain Apple’s.
Privacy, control, and Apple Intelligence
For Apple, the central tension is how to embrace an external model without undermining its long‑standing privacy pitch. The company has stressed that Apple Intelligence is designed so that sensitive data stays on device whenever possible, and that more complex requests are routed through Private Cloud Compute, which is built to meet what Apple calls its industry‑leading privacy standards. In the joint statement, Apple and Google emphasize that Gemini will be used in a way that respects Apple’s privacy rules, a clear attempt to reassure users who associate Google with data‑driven advertising.
That architecture means Siri’s new capabilities will sit on top of a layered system: Apple Intelligence handles what it can locally, Private Cloud Compute steps in for heavier tasks, and Gemini provides the underlying reasoning for the most complex queries. Apple has confirmed that Apple Intelligence and Private Cloud Compute will continue to run on its own infrastructure even as Gemini powers new Siri features, a structure that lets Apple keep tight control over how user data flows while still benefiting from Gemini integration. The result is a hybrid model, one that tries to combine Apple’s privacy posture with Google’s scale in model training.
Money, power, and Alphabet’s AI ambitions
Behind the technical integration sits a major financial commitment. According to people familiar with the matter, Apple plans to spend roughly 1 billion dollars annually to license Alphabet Inc.’s Gemini models to underpin the next‑generation version of Siri. That level of spending signals that Apple sees AI as a core platform investment, not a side feature, and that it is willing to pay Alphabet Inc for access to frontier‑level models rather than trying to match that capability entirely in‑house.
For Google and its parent Alphabet, the deal is a strategic win in a crowded AI market. Alphabet has been jostling with other players to get its models embedded in consumer platforms, and securing a role inside Siri gives Gemini a privileged position on hundreds of millions of Apple devices. Coverage of the agreement notes that Google is using this partnership to extend Gemini beyond its own apps and hardware, turning Apple’s ecosystem into a showcase for its AI. That dynamic shifts the competitive landscape: instead of fighting solely through rival smartphones and assistants, Alphabet Inc is now also a supplier to one of its biggest hardware competitors.
What it means for users and the AI race
For everyday users, the most immediate change will be how Siri feels in real use. Apple is positioning the assistant to handle more open‑ended questions, multi‑step tasks, and natural back‑and‑forth conversations, powered by Google Gemini for. That could show up in concrete scenarios: asking Siri on an iPhone 16 to draft a detailed travel itinerary in Notes, having it summarize a long PDF in Files, or letting it coordinate reminders and calendar events across a MacBook Air and an Apple Watch, all through conversational prompts instead of rigid commands.
The broader AI race will also feel the impact. Analysts have framed Apple’s move as a turning point for Siri, with some describing it as the moment the assistant finally catches up to the new generation of chatbots powered by Google and other large models. Commentary around the deal highlights that Apple and Google are not just updating Siri, they are redefining how platform companies think about AI partnerships, with Apple and Google jointly acknowledging that no single player can easily dominate every layer of the stack. That recognition could open the door to more cross‑platform deals, even among companies that still compete fiercely in hardware and services.
