Apple plans to unveil a Google Gemini-powered version of Siri in February, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman - a partnership that amounts to the company admitting it can't build competitive AI on its own.
The February update will mark the first Siri iteration to deliver on promises Tim Cook made back in June 2024. Features include accessing users' personal data and understanding on-screen content - capabilities that Google Assistant and Alexa have had for years.
A more advanced version will debut at Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference in June, with conversational abilities matching ChatGPT. That version may run entirely on Google's cloud infrastructure, meaning your conversations with Siri could be processed on Google's servers.
Let that sink in: Apple, the company that built a brand on privacy, is outsourcing its AI brain to Google, the company that built a business on harvesting user data.
The partnership signals more than a technical collaboration - it's a strategic retreat. Apple reportedly struggled with its original AI roadmap, and the departure of AI chief John Giannandrea suggests organizational turmoil behind the scenes.
The technology itself will likely work well. Google's Gemini models are legitimately impressive, and Apple's integration polish could create a smooth user experience. The question is what Apple is giving up in exchange.
Apple's pitch has always been control over the full stack - hardware, software, and services working in harmony. Farming out AI to Google creates dependencies that undermine that vision. What happens if Google decides to change terms? What happens to user privacy when data flows through Google's infrastructure?
The move also raises questions about Apple's internal AI capabilities. The company has thousands of engineers and billions in R&D budget. If it still can't build competitive AI after years of trying, what does that say about its technical culture?
For users, the immediate impact is positive - a Siri that actually works as advertised. But the long-term implications are murkier. Apple is trading independence for immediate capability, betting that Google will remain a willing partner even as the companies compete across multiple fronts.
