Apple is poised to significantly boost Siri’s capabilities by integrating a custom version of Google’s Gemini AI model. Bloomberg reports that the collaboration could see Apple paying Google around $1 billion per year for access to Gemini’s advanced features, specifically to enhance Siri’s abilities in areas like summarization and planning.
The custom Gemini model, which boasts a massive 1.2 trillion parameters, would be deployed on Apple’s Private Cloud Compute infrastructure. Apple plans to retain its own AI systems for certain specialized Siri functions. This represents a substantial upgrade over the current cloud-based Apple Intelligence, which operates with 150 billion parameters. The revamped Siri is currently targeted for release next spring.
While alternatives like OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Anthropic’s Claude were considered, Apple ultimately decided to partner with Google. This move is intended as an interim solution, allowing Apple to leverage Gemini while it continues to develop its own proprietary AI technologies. The partnership underscores Apple’s dedication to enhancing Siri and remaining competitive in the rapidly advancing field of artificial intelligence.