By Keerthi Ramesh
Two of world’s leading tech giants Apple and Google, known for their competitive business strategies and rivalry over the years amongst each other, announced Monday a multi-year partnership that will power Apple’s next generation artificial intelligence features.
Apple said it will use Google’s Gemini to power its Siri assistant, a partnership that could have broad implications for the future of AI at both companies. The collaboration is a huge change for Apple considering the iPhone-maker traditionally develops its own core technologies.
In a joint statement given by the companies, Apple stated that after “careful evaluation” they decided to go with Google’s AI technology to be “the most capable foundation” for their AI ambitions.
The move signals a rare moment of alignment between two companies that have long competed for dominance in smartphones, software ecosystems and digital services. For Apple, the decision reflects both urgency and practicality as artificial intelligence becomes a defining feature of consumer technology and expectations around virtual assistants rapidly evolve.
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Under the partnership, Google’s Gemini models are expected to handle more complex, generative AI tasks within Siri, such as advanced conversational responses, content generation and contextual understanding. Apple, however, is likely to maintain tight control over how the technology is deployed, emphasizing its longstanding priorities around privacy, on-device processing and user security. While Gemini will power certain capabilities, Apple is still developing its own proprietary AI systems that will work alongside Google’s models.
The collaboration comes at a time when Apple has faced growing pressure from competitors that have moved quickly to integrate generative AI into their products. Google, Microsoft and Samsung have already rolled out AI-driven features that allow users to summarize content, generate images and interact with devices in more natural ways. By turning to Gemini, Apple appears to be accelerating its AI roadmap rather than waiting for all of its internal tools to mature.
Industry analysts say the partnership does not mean Apple is conceding its independence, but rather choosing a hybrid approach. “Apple has always been selective about partnerships,” said a tech analyst familiar with the company’s strategy. “This looks less like outsourcing and more like choosing the best available tool to meet user expectations right now.”
For Google, the deal represents a significant win. Embedding Gemini into Siri would place Google’s AI at the centre of hundreds of millions of iPhones worldwide, dramatically expanding its reach. It also reinforces Google’s position as a leading provider of large-scale AI models, even as it competes directly with Apple in other areas such as mobile operating systems and digital services.
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Public interest in the partnership surged after a photograph of Apple CEO Tim Cook and Google CEO Sundar Pichai dining together went viral online, fueling speculation about the depth of the collaboration. While executives have not disclosed detailed financial terms, both companies emphasized that the agreement is multi-year and focused on long-term innovation rather than short-term gains.
The announcement underscores a broader shift in the tech industry, where former rivals are increasingly willing to collaborate to keep pace with rapid advances in AI. As generative technology reshapes how people interact with their devices, alliances that once seemed unlikely are becoming more common.
For consumers, the partnership could mean a more capable and conversational Siri, narrowing the gap with other AI assistants. For the industry, it signals that even the most competitive players may need to work together to define the next era of artificial intelligence.