Apple Chooses Gemini as Core AI Behind Apple Intelligence

There has been a quiet battle raging behind the scenes between the US’s top tech giants. Over the last year, firms like Google (GOOG +1.11%) and OpenAI have been duking it out to see who will become the integrated AI for future Apple products. Here’s what you need to know.

Apple and Google Confirm Multi-Year Gemini Partnership

After over a year of discussion, it looks as if Google Gemini will replace ChatGPT following the highly anticipated Apple Intelligence upgrades. The news came via a joint statement in which both companies affirmed the decision.

Specifically, Apple (AAPL +0.31%) executives discussed how they were excited to utilize Gemini and Google to create a strong foundation for Apple users. The multi-year deal will see Gemini take over many in-depth tasks for Siri and other Apple products.

Specifically, Gemini will provide added features, including enhanced functionality to the planner, search, and summarizer options. The upgrade is part of the broader Apple Intelligence strategy, which would utilize Gemini for world knowledge answers and other info accumulated via Google’s massive data troves.

Gemini’s Role in the Apple Intelligence Ecosystem

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Apple Intelligence describes the company’s ever-expanding AI strategy. The goal is to update and enhance core features like the Siri assistant via machine learning and LLMs. Keenly, the upgrade will enable on-phone models to work in conjunction with cloud-based models, improving efficiency and response times.

The History of Siri: From Start-Up to Global Standard

Notably, Apple Intelligence can trace its roots back to the company’s beloved personal assistant Siri. This digital assistant originated as a separate app that was built by SRI International as part of a DARPA contract.

The goal of the work was to create an assistant that could understand speech and complete tasks, freeing the user’s hands. The project was a success, and in 2007, it launched as its own company, Siri Inc.

Source – Siri

The company’s founders, Dag Kittlaus, Adam Cheyer, and Tom Gruber, saw an opportunity to fill a fast-growing niche market. Their assumptions were correct as Siri was acquired by Apple in February 2010, shortly after the app launched on iOS.

Apple first launched Siri on its iPhone 4S in October 2011 to much fanfare. The hands-free assistant enabled users to send and receive messages, set timers and appointments, open key apps, and complete tasks.

Siri’s Market Dominance

Since then, Siri has become a pioneer in the digital assistant sector. Today, it dominates the market as the 2nd most popular AI assistant after Google Assistant. Impressively, out of the +154M Americans that rely on digital assistants, Siri managed to secure 87M users.

Currently, Siri is active in over +500M devices, making it one of the most successful digital assistants of all time. Keenly, it’s also the most popular mobile phone digital assistant as it comes standard with all iPhones now. Additionally, it’s easier than ever to use, with 20% of people in the world having used it at least once.

The Shift from OpenAI to Google

Much of Apple’s latest AI power comes from a strategic partnership with ChatGPT sponsor OpenAI. The companies signed a strategic partnership in June 2024, which saw ChatGPT become the integrated AI system, assisting in more complex tasks.

The first ChatGPT-powered Siri-equipped phones hit the market in December 2024. They provide much more powerful features compared to predecessors. For example, Siri could handle complex queries using natural language searches.

It could also assist with planning and creating schedules or other tasks, including being able to autocreate appointments based on your emails or text commitments. Additionally, there are several writing tools that ChatGPT provides Siri, including the ability to proofread and rewrite text, alongside image analysis capabilities.

Siri 2.0: The Gemini-Powered Upgrade

The Apple Intelligence upgrades will also include the introduction of Siri 2.0. This more capable AI assistant will no longer rely on ChatGPT models but instead will integrate Google Gemini AI models to handle complex queries and more.

According to Apple executives, the Siri 2.0 upgrade could occur in spring 2026. It will enhance Siri’s capabilities even further, including the ability to utilize data directly from your device’s screen versus accessing the data in the cloud.

Strategic Shift: Implications for OpenAI

The news that Siri will be changing its AI platform was met with concern from OpenAI, which will lose access to millions of clients after the upgrade takes place. Notably, this type of sudden shift in AI providers has become more common due to more competition and increased posturing by major AI providers seeking to lock in long-term resource and partnership deals.

Gemini’s Evolution and Capabilities

Gemini launched in December 2023 as a direct response to OpenAI’s ChatGPT dominance. The project, funded by Alphabet, originated as the Bard chatbot and has grown into one of the most successful and capable providers of AI services.

Gemini has some advantages in terms of its direct access to nearly endless data via its Android and Google search relations. It’s exactly these connections that have led some market analysts and participants to wonder if this agreement violates antitrust and monopoly laws.

Antitrust Concerns and Industry Reactions

One person who seems to feel that way is Grok AI founder and business tycoon, Elon Musk. He took to social media to question the legality of the agreement that would enable Google to basically have a monopoly on the mobile carrier sector.

Specifically, he expressed concern that the combination of the Android operating system with Chrome Search could be seen as monopolistic behavior. It’s easy to see how this perspective could go from a whisper to a roar in the coming weeks, as there’s definitely some concentration occurring.

Apple’s Privacy-First Architecture

Apple stated that the new agreement would mirror the ChatGPT model in that the company wouldn’t store any personal client info with the AI provider. The company’s execs explained that all personal data would remain on Apple servers and adhere to the company’s strict privacy standards.

Validating Google’s AI Infrastructure

No matter how you view the partnership, it definitely signals that Google Gemini AI models have gotten a lot better. The company has continually updated its models to remain competitive, leveraging its increased access to timely data from users to create more personalized responses and features.

Stock Market Reaction: Alphabet Hits $4T

News of the multi-year collaboration was met with excitement by most investors. Notably, Google’s parent company, Alphabet, broke into the $4T market valuation directly after the news, signaling that investors are on board with the maneuver.

Competitor Response: xAI and Anthropic

Across the industry, competitors have mostly remained quiet, with major firms like OpenAI and xAI just now starting to express concerns over the deal. Keenly, it now appears as if this will be one of many deals that Gemini has planned for 2026.

The 2026 AI Landscape

This latest deal falls in line with the ever-expanding reach of AI protocols. These firms continue to achieve higher levels of valuation and funding. Notably, there are some analysts who believe the age of startups entering the market has passed due to the now egregious amount of funding that each of the market leaders possesses.

Investing in AI Infrastructure

There are several innovative companies driving AI adoption and integration to new heights. While Apple and Google dominate the headlines, the underlying infrastructure relies on specialized hardware providers that enable these massive models to function.

Broadcom (AVGO)

While Alphabet is the consumer-facing winner of this deal, Broadcom is the silent engineer behind the infrastructure. Broadcom is Google’s key partner in designing the Tensor Processing Units (TPUs)—the custom AI chips that power Gemini. Unlike ChatGPT, which relies heavily on Nvidia GPUs, Gemini runs natively on these Broadcom-designed TPUs. A massive increase in Gemini traffic from iPhone users directly translates to increased demand for Broadcom’s custom silicon.

Furthermore, Broadcom is deeply embedded in the Apple ecosystem, supplying critical wireless connectivity chips and custom switching silicon for Apple’s data centers. As Apple scales its Private Cloud Compute (PCC) to handle privacy-centric AI requests, the demand for high-speed, custom optical interconnects—a Broadcom specialty—is expected to surge.

Broadcom has effectively positioned itself as the “arms dealer” for both sides of this partnership. By securing long-term custom silicon contracts with both Google (for AI compute) and Apple (for connectivity and cloud), Broadcom offers investors a way to profit from the Gemini–Apple deal without betting on a single software platform.

Latest Broadcom (AVGO) News and Performance

Gemini Apple Partnership | Conclusion

This latest strategic partnership is just one of many that will occur as AI services become more integrated into the market. These platforms are in the midst of an AI boom, which has caused all parties to fight over resources and clients. Hopefully, this latest partnership will help to improve AI services while expanding access. For now, the entire market awaits to see what the two firms have planned.

Learn about other cool AI projects here.