Apple has promised its users improvements to Siri. According to the latest reports, it is planning to strike a deal with Google that will give it access to a specialized version of Google Gemini. This will cost the company $1 billion annually and enable a major upgrade to the popular voice assistant.
What's New in Siri
According to the information currently available, Apple wants to use Gemini AI to introduce two new features – summarization and task planning. Siri will therefore continue to use Apple's internal system for routine operations, while newer and more complex tasks will run on Google's AI models. Apple's current models are not powerful enough for the new improvements, and their computing capacity does not meet the needs of a major update.
Gemini's Power, Apple's Ecosystem
As part of rolling out these new features, Apple wants to continue protecting its users. It will therefore run the Gemini model on its own Private Cloud Compute servers. This will isolate user data from Google and provide users with an adequate level of privacy. The annual fee paid by Apple will therefore be solely for the technology itself, not for access to Google servers.
According to the available information, the improved Siri is expected to arrive in spring 2026 as part of the iOS 26.4 update.
Best Price-to-Performance Ratio
According to sources, Apple did not choose Gemini immediately. Other models from companies such as OpenAI and Anthropic were reportedly also under consideration. However, testing likely showed that the combination of performance and operating costs would be most advantageous with Google.
However, this solution is intended to be only temporary. The company plans to develop its own new AI technology in the future, which will replace Gemini and allow the Siri voice assistant to run on Apple's own model. However, catching up with the advanced AI models of current industry leaders such as Google or OpenAI will certainly not be easy.
What Will It Bring to Users?
Thanks to a high-quality AI model, Siri could handle complex or multi-step tasks more effectively. It should now be able to understand context and handle planning or text summarization, which would lead to more natural and intelligent responses than before. Running Gemini on Apple servers is also expected to ensure the level of privacy users are accustomed to. By keeping Gemini within Apple's cloud, Google will not have access to user data.
Proprietary AI Is Still in the Cards
Apple has always been independent and has built its strategy around its own hardware and software. Recently, however, it has become apparent that the company is not yet able to catch up with long-established AI giants such as Google, OpenAI, and Anthropic in developing its own artificial intelligence. However, some experts still see this merely as a temporary solution and believe that Apple will develop its own AI technology, enabling it to grow without its current dependence on competitors.
Source: Apple Insider, Reuters, MacWorld, TechCrunch
