New Delhi: Some reports have suggested that Apple is now going to close a significant agreement with Google to license the Gemini AI model. This deal, which could cost the Cupertino giant around $1 billion annually, would basically allow it to use Google’s most powerful AI system to power a fresh version of Siri, according to some sources. While Apple has always pushed to rely on its own technology for the core software capabilities and has been heavily promoting Apple Intelligence while developing in-house AI models, the iPhone maker appears to be lagging slightly in the AI race. Apple views Google’s Gemini as a temporary solution until its own systems are robust enough.
And if this deal is finalised, the centrepiece of this partnership would be Google’s Gemini model, which is now reported to include approximately 1.2 trillion parameters, far surpassing Apple’s current cloud-based AI model, which has around 150 billion parameters. And if we discuss in simple terms, more parameters generally translate to greater reasoning ability, improved real-time understanding, and more complex task handling, all of which are essential for Apple to make Siri smarter, then now it is for the iPhone users with a more capable voice assistant.
Apple has spent many years positioning Siri as a privacy-first device-based assistant while trying to differentiate itself from the data-heavy AI competitors. With this collaboration, Apple is now expected to host the Gemini through its own infrastructure, while ensuring data is processed within Apple’s privacy-controlled systems. This setup would be beneficial for the company to maintain its long-standing stance on user privacy, even as it leans on external AI horsepower.
Apple has evaluated AI models from the other major players, including OpenAI and Anthropic. The company is stated to have run multiple internal tasks comparing model accuracy, reliability, and scalability. However, the Gemini was chosen because it performed best across Apple’s benchmarks while aligning with the company’s integration plans. In some of the earlier reports, it has been suggested that Apple tested OpenAI’s ChatGPT for the consumer features in iOS 18, but the long-term Siri overhaul appears to be a separate, more foundational AI shift.
When Siri is powered by Gemini, then the next Siri will be more advanced to deliver more natural conversation, improved task automation, and deeper contextual understanding across the applications. The revamped Siri is currently planned to launch in spring 2026, though timelines may change as development continues. Apple initially aimed for a more aggressive rollout, but the internal restructuring and technical hurdles are reported to have pushed the schedule back. This partnership also raises several strategic questions, such as whether Apple will be able to retain its brand identity and differentiation while relying on another company’s core AI model. Will the user data privacy story remain intact if a third-party model is involved? Apple is now already working on an in-house model with over a trillion parameters that could be ready in 2026.
