Apple turns to Google to supercharge Siri’s AI future

Apple has agreed to a multiyear partnership with Google that will see the Gemini artificial intelligence model integrated into Siri, marking one of the most significant shifts in Apple’s approach to core software in over a decade. The agreement, valued at about $1 billion a year, is aimed at delivering a substantially more capable version of Siri by 2026, as competition in generative AI intensifies across consumer technology.

Under the deal, Apple will embed a customised version of Google’s Gemini model into Siri, enabling the assistant to handle more complex tasks, generate richer responses and better understand user context. People familiar with the arrangement say Apple plans to deploy a large-scale Gemini model, built on an architecture exceeding one trillion parameters, while applying its own on-device processing and privacy safeguards. The goal is to improve personalisation without compromising Apple’s long-standing emphasis on data protection.

The partnership links two companies that have historically been rivals in mobile platforms and digital services. Apple designs its own hardware and operating systems, while Google dominates search and advertising and develops the Android ecosystem. Their relationship has nevertheless included lucrative collaborations, most notably Google paying Apple billions annually to remain the default search engine on iPhones. The Siri-Gemini deal expands that relationship into the most strategically sensitive area of modern computing.

For Apple, the move reflects mounting pressure to close the gap with competitors that have moved faster in deploying generative AI. While the company has steadily added machine-learning features to its devices, its voice assistant has been widely criticised for lagging behind newer AI-driven tools. Rivals have released assistants capable of reasoning across text, images and voice, while Siri has remained largely command-based. Executives have signalled that a major overhaul is under way, and the Gemini integration forms a central part of that effort.

Google, for its part, gains access to one of the world’s largest and most affluent user bases. Embedding Gemini into Siri places Google’s flagship AI model at the heart of hundreds of millions of devices, strengthening its position against other AI leaders. The agreement also provides a stable revenue stream at a time when AI development costs are soaring and competition for enterprise and consumer adoption is fierce.

The arrangement is structured so that Gemini’s most advanced capabilities will operate primarily through Apple’s tightly controlled software environment. Apple engineers are said to be working on layers that determine when Siri should rely on Gemini for complex reasoning and when tasks can be handled locally on the device. This hybrid approach is designed to reduce latency and limit the amount of data sent to external servers, a key concern for Apple’s customers and regulators alike.

Despite the strategic logic, the deal has drawn scrutiny from competition experts. Regulators in the United States and Europe are already examining the dominance of large technology firms in AI, search and mobile ecosystems. Critics argue that closer ties between Apple and Google could further entrench their market power, making it harder for smaller AI developers to gain distribution. The size of the annual payment and the depth of technical integration are expected to attract attention from antitrust authorities assessing whether the partnership restricts choice or innovation.

Both companies have sought to frame the collaboration as a way to accelerate innovation rather than limit it. Apple has emphasised that it will continue developing its own AI models and that Gemini is one component of a broader strategy. Google has stressed that Gemini is offered as a platform technology that can be adapted by partners, not a closed system. Even so, analysts note that the deal underscores how resource-intensive cutting-edge AI has become, pushing even the largest firms towards collaboration.

The timeline points to a debut alongside a future generation of Apple software and hardware, likely tied to major operating system releases in 2026. Developers are expected to gain new tools to build applications that take advantage of the enhanced Siri, potentially reshaping how users interact with iPhones, iPads and Macs. If successful, the integration could make voice a more central interface for productivity, search and everyday tasks.