Apple — the world's number one smartphone maker — will retain a great deal of oversight on its Apple Intelligence-powered Siri upgrade, despite its headline-making deal with Google, according to a report by the Information.
Speaking to the publication under anonymity, project insiders say that under the competitive deal, Apple has reserved the right to tweak the model independently from Google and will not be incorporating any Google or Gemini branding. For now. Google's LLM will act more as a base for Apple's specific needs, the insider reports suggest, rather than a complete package.
In addition to its general processing upgrade, the Gemini-powered Siri will be better at providing general knowledge and emotional support in a more conversational tone, similar to how other AI assistants operate, the Information reported. With Gemini's help boosting Siri's on-device technology, the assistant will also be able to contextualize requests that aren't so clear, such as searching through your messages to figure out what names you call your contacts, and generate content, like writing Notes with information pulled from the internet.
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Earlier this week, the tech giant announced it would be relying on Google's Gemini AI models to power its mega upgraded Siri, following months of speculation as the company ebbed between other developers, including partners like OpenAI. Gemini, however, was rumored to be the top contender as the company headed into 2026. Despite this new partnership, Apple will continue its deal to route complex questions through ChatGPT, an Apple spokesperson told the Information, but the publication reports that OpenAI has seen minimal traffic directed to ChatGPT from Siri tests.
Under the partnership, Siri's new brain won't be hosted on Google servers, but will run directly on Apple devices or the company's Cloud server — this also means no data sharing. Insiders speaking to the publication say Google invested heavily in building a model version that could run on Apple servers to honor the company's commitments to on-device privacy.
Topics Apple Google Gemini
Chase joined Mashable's Social Good team in 2020, covering online stories about digital activism, climate justice, accessibility, and media representation. Her work also captures how these conversations manifest in politics, popular culture, and fandom. Sometimes she's very funny.
