Apple is in early talks with Google about using its Gemini artificial intelligence to power a redesigned Siri, Bloomberg News reported on Friday. The discussions are still at an early stage but could reshape how the iPhone’s voice assistant works.
The report sent shares of Alphabet up 3.7% and Apple up 1.6% in afternoon trading. People familiar with the matter said Apple has asked Google to build a custom Gemini model for Siri, with a potential rollout next year.
Apple has not yet decided whether to stick with its own AI models or bring in an outside partner. Both companies declined to comment.
The talks show how Apple is trying to catch up in the race to add generative AI to consumer devices. Google and Samsung have already built AI assistants into their phones. Apple, meanwhile, has faced delays. A major Siri upgrade planned for this spring was pushed back by a year after engineering setbacks.
Siri has also struggled to keep pace with rivals such as Alexa and Google Assistant, which handle complex requests and connect better with third-party apps. Earlier this year, Apple held talks with OpenAI and Anthropic about possibly using their models, but no deal was reached.
If Apple turns to Google, it would add a new layer to a partnership that already makes Google the default search engine on iPhones. A deal already worth billions each year. This will also signal Apple’s recognition that its own AI tools may not be ready to compete at scale.
