Apple is reportedly in talks with Google to integrate its Gemini AI into the iPhone, Bloomberg reports, a move that should help both companies compete with OpenAI and its (heavily invested) partner Microsoft. While it might seem like an admission that Apple is behind on AI, the partnership fits if you think of generative AI models as the evolution of web search, something Google already offers on all Apple devices. According to the report, Gemini could be a cloud-based generative AI engine for Siri and other iPhone apps, while Apple’s models could be woven into the upcoming iOS 18 for on-device AI tasks.
Bloomberg notes that Apple has also had discussions with OpenAI about using its own models, and that it could still end up partnering with another AI division, such as Anthropic. Apple could even work with multiple partners until its own generative models are up to par. But teaming up with Google makes the most sense, especially since the search giant is already paying Apple millions to bring search to Safari.
Apple needs some sort of generative AI solution it can deploy this year (its own Ajax model will likely take years to match Gemini and OpenAI), and Google needs a quick way to bring its AI smarts to billions of devices.
Regulatory issues to consider – The Justice Department has already sued Google over its search dominance, including how it pays Apple and other companies to use its search engine. But given the specter of Microsoft’s partnership with OpenAI — which turned the Bing search engine into an AI machine overnight and now powers all of Microsoft’s Copilot AI solutions — the potential gains could be worth the risks for Apple and Google.
There are still technical issues that Google has to deal with as well: Gemini recently came under fire for inaccurately displaying historical imagery. But even considering the potential growth issues, the partnership with Apple helps both companies. It also gives Apple room to develop its own models as OpenAI and Google grapple with the growing problems of generative artificial intelligence.