Apple is nearing a US$1 billion annual deal with Google to use a customized Gemini AI model for the next Siri update, marking a strategic shift toward collaboration as Apple aims to enhance its assistant while developing its own AI systems.
Apple is about to finish a significant strategic deal whereby it would provide access to a finely tuned version of Google’s advanced artificial intelligence to power the following generation of its voice assistant, Siri, in return for around US$1 billion annually.
Reports indicate Apple has examined many suppliers for the update, including offers from OpenAI and Anthropic, before choosing Google’s technology. Boasting around 1.2 trillion parameters, the deal is said to be a custom adaptation of Google’s ‘Gemini’ model
ALSO READ: NASA x Google: Developing an Autonomous Medical Assistant
Although the agreement is still in the latter stages and plans could change, the updated Siri Google AI Earth Model Apple’s operating systems
For Apple, the main goal is to provide a more competent assistant across its ecosystem; for Google, it is to gain a major partner to deploy its model at scale. The return on the investment will depend mostly on how successfully Apple can integrate the model, handle privacy and performance concerns, and ultimately translate improved artificial intelligence capabilities into consumer value.
