The iPhone’s big AI Siri upgrade is finally coming…thanks to Google Gemini

Apple has agreed a deal with Google to use the latter’s Gemini AI assistant to power its own upcoming AI-based Siri overhaul.

The two tech giants issued a brief joint statement on Monday announcing “a multi-year collaboration under which the next generation of Apple Foundation Models will be based on Google’s Gemini models and cloud technology”.

Google’s AI models will apparently power upcoming Apple Intelligence features, including the belated Siri upgrade, which is meant to be (finally) coming this year.

Apple clearly evaluated its options with the major AI players on the market, but ultimately concluded that “Google’s AI technology provides the most capable foundation for Apple Foundation Models“.

The iPhone maker seems keen to stress that this team-up won’t make its platform any less secure. “Apple Intelligence will continue to run on Apple devices and Private Cloud Compute,” concludes the statement, “while maintaining Apple’s industry-leading privacy standards.”

Gemini, but not as we know it

Back in November we reported on claims from Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman that Apple would be leaning heavily on Google Gemini in order to get its delayed Siri AI push out into the wild.

The claim at the time was that Apple was prepared to pay Google for what would effectively be its own bespoke version of Gemini running on its own private servers.

While this official statement is extremely light on detail, it would seem to at least partially confirm such claims.

Don’t expect to see too many signs of Google’s own style or approach to AI on future versions of Siri, then. It’ll be doing much of the heavy lifting in the background, with Apple handling the front end.