Apple chooses Google’s Gemini AI under multi-year deal

Apple will use Google’s Gemini artificial intelligence models to power a revamped version of its Siri voice assistant under a multi-year agreement announced on January 12, deepening ties between the two technology giants and strengthening Alphabet’s position in the global race against OpenAI.

Google’s models already underpin much of Samsung’s “Galaxy AI,” but the Siri integration opens up an even larger market, Caliber.Az reports per foreign media. 

“After careful evaluation, Apple determined Google's AI technology provides ‌the most capable foundation for Apple Foundation Models,” Google said, adding that its models will also power other future Apple Intelligence features.

Alphabet and OpenAI had been competing for the Apple partnership, though financial details of the agreement were not disclosed.

“Apple Intelligence ‍will continue to run on Apple devices and Private Cloud Compute, while maintaining Apple's industry-leading privacy standards," Google said, addressing privacy concerns. 

Apple had previously integrated OpenAI’s ChatGPT into its devices in late 2024, allowing Siri to draw on the chatbot’s expertise for more complex queries. At the time, Apple said there were no major changes to that integration. 

“This seems like an unreasonable concentration of power for Google, given that [they] also have Android and Chrome,” Tesla CEO Elon Musk said in a post on social media platform X.

Musk, who founded AI startup xAI, has been seeking to compete with major players by developing foundational models and investing billions of dollars in large-scale computing infrastructure.

The January 12 tie-up is also expected to raise questions about OpenAI’s longer-term role in Apple’s AI strategy. Following the launch of Gemini 3, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman reportedly issued a “code red” late last year to accelerate development efforts.

“Apple's decision to use Google's Gemini models for Siri shifts OpenAI into a more supporting role, with ChatGPT remaining positioned for complex, opt-in queries rather than the default intelligence layer,” said Parth Talsania, CEO of Equisights Research.

Google has been intensifying its efforts to counter OpenAI’s early lead in artificial intelligence by investing heavily in frontier models as well as image and video generation technologies.

Apple, meanwhile, has faced several challenges in its AI push, including delays to Siri upgrades, senior executive changes and a muted response to the initial rollout of its generative AI tools.

By Sabina Mammadli