Apple taps Google’s Gemini to supercharge Siri in a rare tech truce

CALIFORNIA: Apple has struck a multiyear deal with Google to run its next wave of artificial intelligence, including Siri, on Google’s Gemini models, sealing an unlikely alliance between two of Silicon Valley’s fiercest rivals.

The iPhone maker said it chose Gemini after a “careful evaluation” showed Google’s system offered the strongest foundation for its AI push, a tacit admission that Apple’s in-house efforts have lagged in the race to catch up with fast-moving rivals.

The pact is a sharp departure for Apple, which has traditionally built its core technologies itself. Yet it also extends a long-running commercial relationship that already sees Google pay Apple billions of dollars a year to remain the default search engine on iPhones, a deal currently under US antitrust scrutiny.

News of the AI tie-up lifted Alphabet’s shares above a $4 trillion valuation for the first time, underlining investor belief that Google has secured a commanding role in the next phase of consumer AI.

Not everyone is cheering. Elon Musk, whose xAI competes in the same field, called the agreement “an unreasonable concentration of power”, given Google’s grip on Android and Chrome.

Apple had also weighed partnerships with OpenAI, Anthropic and Perplexity, but ultimately plumped for Gemini. Financial terms were not disclosed.

For Apple, the deal offers a quick route back into the AI arms race after a faltering start that saw delays to a revamped Siri and the departure of its AI chief late last year. Analysts said the partnership gives the company breathing room as it tries to get its broader AI strategy on track into 2026.

Apple insisted that its own system, Apple Intelligence, will still run on devices for core functions, preserving what it calls industry-leading privacy, even as Google’s models do the heavy lifting behind the scenes.