Apple Inc. is in early talks with Alphabet Inc.’s Google about using its Gemini artificial intelligence models to power a new version of Siri, a move that could mark a major shift in the iPhone maker’s AI strategy, Bloomberg reported.
According to people familiar with the matter, Apple has approached Google to explore building a custom AI model that could run on Apple’s servers and form the foundation of a redesigned Siri expected next year. The discussions remain preliminary, and Apple has not yet decided whether to proceed with an internal model or partner with an outside provider.
The effort comes as Apple races to close the gap in generative AI, where it has lagged behind rivals. Earlier this year, the company also held talks with OpenAI and Anthropic, evaluating whether ChatGPT or Claude could serve as Siri’s new engine. Apple is currently running a “bake-off,” developing two parallel Siri projects: one based on its own technology (“Linwood”) and another powered by external models (“Glenwood”), Bloomberg reported.
Shares of both tech giants climbed after Bloomberg’s report on the discussions. Google rose 2.9% to $205.46 in New York afternoon trading, while Apple advanced 1.4% to $227.95.
The talks follow repeated delays in Apple’s long-promised Siri overhaul, which was meant to enable deeper personalization and full voice-based navigation across devices. That project was postponed by a year after engineering setbacks, and leadership of Siri shifted away from AI chief John Giannandrea to software boss Craig Federighi and Vision Pro creator Mike Rockwell.
Despite Apple’s historic preference to keep core AI development in-house for privacy and security reasons, management is now weighing external help. If a deal is struck, third-party AI models would run on Apple’s Private Cloud Compute servers rather than directly on devices, Bloomberg said.
The potential pivot comes amid turmoil in Apple’s AI teams. In July, Ruoming Pang, chief architect of Apple’s Foundation Models group, left for Meta Platforms Inc. with a package reportedly worth $200 million. Several colleagues followed, and many who remain are interviewing elsewhere, raising concerns about Apple’s ability to keep pace with AI leaders like OpenAI and Google.
Still, Apple continues to invest heavily in its internal models. The company recently began testing its first trillion-parameter AI system — a significant leap over its current 150 billion–parameter models — though it remains well behind cutting-edge competitors.
Apple and Google, despite being rivals in smartphones and software, already have a long-standing search partnership under which Google pays billions annually to remain the default engine on Apple devices. That deal is currently under antitrust scrutiny by the US Justice Department.
For now, the Siri discussions are exploratory, with no formal negotiations on commercial terms. But as Apple Chief Executive Officer Tim Cook told employees at a recent all-hands meeting, “Apple must win in AI” — and bringing Google’s Gemini into Siri may be one way to get there.
