Jan 12 (Reuters) – Apple will use Google’s Gemini models for its revamped Siri coming later this year under a multi-year deal that deepens the tech giants’ alliance in the artificial intelligence era and bolsters Alphabet’s position in the race against OpenAI.
The deal announced Monday marks a major vote of confidence for Google. Its technology already drives much of Samsung’s “Galaxy AI,” but the Siri deal unlocks a large market with Apple’s installed base of more than two billion active devices.
“After careful evaluation, Apple determined Google’s AI technology provides the most capable foundation for Apple Foundation Models,” Google said on X, adding that its models will also power other future Apple Intelligence features.
Alphabet has been jostling with OpenAI for the Apple deal.
The iPhone maker had in late 2024 rolled out ChatGPT into its devices, allowing the company’s Siri voice assistant to tap the chatbot’s expertise including user queries about photos and documents such as presentations.
Apple said there were no major changes to the ChatGPT integration at the time, while OpenAI did not immediately respond to Reuters’ request for comment.
The latest agreement builds on a years-long partnership that makes Google the default search engine on Apple devices – a lucrative arrangement that drives traffic for Google while generating tens of billions in annual revenue for Apple.
News of the deal helped power Alphabet’s market valuation above $4 trillion on Monday. The stock, up 0.5% in afternoon trading, jumped 65% last year on growing investor optimism about its efforts including its latest Gemini 3 AI model.
“Apple Intelligence will continue to run on Apple devices and Private Cloud Compute, while maintaining Apple’s industry-leading privacy standards,” Google said on Monday.
(Reporting by Zaheer Kachwala and Aditya Soni in Bengaluru; Editing by Shreya Biswas)