Gemini will power Apple's Siri

"Driving the news: Apple and Google confirmed the deal in a statement provided to Axios. The next generation of Apple's foundation models will be based on Gemini models and cloud technology, the companies said. "These models will help power future Apple Intelligence features, including a more personalized Siri coming this year," per the statement. Between the lines: The arrangement had been in the works since last year."

"Bloomberg said in November that Apple could end up paying on the order of $1 billion per year to use Google's models. "After careful evaluation, Apple determined that Google's Al technology provides the most capable foundation for Apple Foundation Models," Apple and Google said in its statement. Zoom in: Apple says Google's models will run either on-device or from its own servers in order to preserve Apple's privacy standards. It's not yet clear what - if any -access Google will have to Apple customers' data."

"The intrigue: The partnership follows years of antitrust scrutiny over a prior arrangement that has seen Google paying billions of dollars annually to Apple to be its default search engine provider. Google was found to hold an illegal monopoly in online search in 2024. The company was spared from the most dramatic possible remedies last fall when U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta ruled it must share its search data with rivals and put restrictions on its exclusive deals. Those restrictions include barring Google from entering any multi-year agreements with other companies, including for generative AI products."

Apple and Google confirmed an agreement to base Apple’s next-generation foundation models on Google’s Gemini models and cloud technology. The models are intended to power future Apple Intelligence features, including a more personalized Siri expected this year. The arrangement had been in development since last year and may involve substantial payments; Bloomberg reported Apple could pay about $1 billion per year. Apple states the models can run on-device or from Apple servers to protect privacy, though the extent of Google’s access to customer data remains unclear. The partnership follows antitrust scrutiny of Google and recent judicial restrictions on exclusive search deals.

Read at Axios