Apple is close to closing a $1 billion deal with Google to enhance Siri, Apple's artificial intelligence assistant.
A Bloomberg report revealed that Apple is near an agreement with Google to use a custom AI model, Gemini, to upgrade Apple's Siri assistant.
According to the report, the deal between the two tech giants could be worth as much as $1 billion, with Apple using Google's developed Gemini model to accelerate Siri's development.
The collaboration between Apple and Google is seen as a "temporary bridge" while Apple accelerates its own AI development to make it practical and more diverse.
Architecturally, the new Siri will operate through a blend of Apple's own models and the customized Gemini model running on Apple's Private Cloud Compute infrastructure, supporting comprehensive functions like data summarization, planning, and complex commands—capabilities that the current Siri lacks.
Apple had previously tested models from OpenAI and Anthropic before deciding to move forward with Google, aiming to enable AI features across the iPhone, iPad, and other Apple product ecosystems.
The latest timeline anticipates the new Siri version will be available to the public around March or May 2026, although the schedule could accelerate or delay depending on AI development progress.
A key point is that this Google-Apple agreement does not include embedding Google's search services into Apple's operating systems, reflecting how big tech firms can cooperate with competitors to boost their technologies in the race against others.