Apple Turns to Google to Power the Next Phase of AI
The deal puts Google’s Gemini models at the core of Apple Intelligence, reshaping Big Tech’s AI power balance.
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Apple Inc said it has struck a multiyear deal with Google to base its next-generation Apple Foundation Models on Google’s Gemini artificial intelligence models and cloud infrastructure, a move that deepens cooperation between two of the biggest rivals in tech.
The partnership will power future Apple Intelligence features, including a significantly more personalized version of Siri expected later this year.
In a joint statement, Apple and Google said the agreement follows a “careful evaluation” and positions Gemini as the “most capable foundation” for Apple’s AI ambitions while maintaining Apple’s long-held commitment to privacy.
Apple said Apple Intelligence will continue to run on devices and through its Private Cloud Compute infrastructure, preserving locally processed and encrypted data protections.
The partnership immediately drew criticism from Elon Musk, who questioned the growing influence of Google in AI. Posting on X, Musk wrote: “This seems like an unreasonable concentration of power for Google, given that they also have Android and Chrome.”
The deal comes at a sensitive moment for both companies. Google already pays Apple billions of dollars annually to remain the default search engine on iPhones, a relationship that came under scrutiny after Google was found to hold an illegal monopoly in internet search. That arrangement appeared briefly at risk as regulators weighed potential remedies.
In September, however, a judge ruled against a worst-case outcome that could have forced Google to divest its Chrome browser business. The decision cleared the way for Google to continue striking commercial deals, including this expanded AI partnership with Apple.
This is also not the first time Apple has partnered with an external AI infrastructure. In June 2024, the company unveiled a separate deal with ChatGPT-maker OpenAI, bringing the popular chatbot into Apple Intelligence as part of its generative AI feature set.
For Google, landing Apple as a foundational AI partner highlights its renewed momentum in artificial intelligence, at a time when the balance of power in Big Tech is once again being reshaped by who controls the most capable models.
