When Apple introduces its more powerful version of Siri in 2026, it increasingly looks like it will be Google we have to thank. Bloomberg reports that Apple is finalizing plans to use a custom version of Gemini to power the new Siri and plans to pay Google handsomely for the privilege.
The new Siri will still use some of the models Apple developed, but will also rely on a version of Gemini running on the company’s Private Cloud Compute servers to “handle Siri’s summary and scheduling functions.” Bloomberg writing. These functions “help the voice assistant synthesize information and decide how to perform complex tasks.” Given that using apps on behalf of people is central to Apple’s pitch for its updated Assistant, Gemini appears to play a vital role.
Apple would pay $1 billion a year to use Google’s technology, a fraction of what Google paid the company to make Google Search the default search option on Apple devices. However, the partnership will likely not be announced and Apple plans to eventually replace Google’s model with its own. Specifically, with “a trillion-parameter cloud-based model that it hopes will be ready for consumer applications as early as next year,” according to Bloomberg.
Siri can use ChatGPT for specific requests as part of Apple Intelligence, and Gemini would have been added as another AI option in March 2024. After Apple delayed Siri a year later to 2025, the need for more substantial help would have become necessary. The possibility of Siri being backed by Gemini was first reported in August, when Google was asked to create a version of its model that could run securely on Apple’s servers. The iPhone maker is already rumored to be exploring deals with Anthropic and OpenAI.
