Apple Brings Google Gemini Into Siri in a Major AI Push

Apple has made one of its most important artificial intelligence decisions in years by selecting Google’s Gemini technology to power the next phase of Siri and Apple Intelligence. The move marks a turning point for the iPhone maker, which has been under growing pressure to accelerate its AI ambitions as rivals roll out more capable and conversational assistants.

The partnership means that Gemini will serve as the underlying engine for many of Apple’s upcoming AI features, including the long-awaited revamp of Siri scheduled to arrive later this year. Apple said it chose Google’s models after reviewing several internal and external options, concluding that Gemini offered the strongest foundation for its own Apple Foundation Models.

Even with Google’s technology at the core, Apple emphasised that it will remain in charge of how the AI is used. According to the company, Gemini-powered features will continue to run either directly on users’ devices or through Apple’s Private Cloud Compute system. This approach is meant to preserve Apple’s long-standing focus on privacy and secure data handling while still delivering more advanced AI capabilities.

Financial details of the agreement have not been disclosed, but the scale of the deal has been widely discussed in the industry. Bloomberg previously reported that Apple had been in talks to use a customised version of Gemini for Siri, and later suggested Apple could be paying around $1 billion a year for access to Google’s AI models. Apple has declined to comment on those figures, while Google has referred back to the official announcement.

The agreement also carries significant implications for Google. It highlights growing confidence in Gemini at a time when competition from OpenAI and other AI developers has been intense. After some uneven years, Google’s AI strategy appears to be regaining momentum. In 2025, the company reportedly delivered its strongest performance in more than a decade and even surpassed Apple in market capitalisation for the first time since 2019, reflecting shifting investor sentiment.

Apple and Google already have a complex and deeply intertwined business relationship. Google pays Apple billions of dollars each year to remain the default search engine on iPhones and other Apple devices. That arrangement has faced legal scrutiny in the United States after a court ruled that Google held an illegal monopoly in online search. However, a key ruling in September avoided the most severe outcome and allowed Google to continue entering into partnerships like this new Gemini deal.

Following news of the agreement, Google’s share price jumped, briefly pushing its market value beyond the $4 trillion mark before settling back. The reaction underlined how closely investors are watching Google’s progress in artificial intelligence, especially as Gemini is positioned as a serious challenger to OpenAI’s models.

For Apple, the partnership is a clear attempt to close a widening AI gap. While companies such as Microsoft, Amazon, and Meta have poured massive investments into AI tools and infrastructure since the debut of ChatGPT in 2022, Apple has taken a more cautious path. That restraint has drawn criticism, particularly around Siri, which many users feel has lagged behind newer AI assistants.

Last year, Apple delayed its promised Siri AI upgrade until 2026 despite already promoting it, admitting that development was taking longer than expected. The Gemini partnership appears to be a direct response to that pressure, offering Apple a faster route to more capable AI features.

Apple also continues to work with OpenAI, using ChatGPT for certain Siri and Apple Intelligence queries that require broad, world-based knowledge. How Gemini and ChatGPT will work together in the future remains unclear, but for users, the hope is simple: a smarter, more useful Siri that finally lives up to its promise.