Apple and Google Strike AI Deal to Bring Gemini Models to Siri

• By John K. Waters
• 01/16/26

Apple and Google announced they have embarked on a multiyear partnership that will put Google’s Gemini models and cloud technology at the core of the next generation of Apple Foundation Models, a move that could help Apple accelerate long-promised upgrades to Siri while handing Google a high-profile distribution win on the iPhone.

How Apple and Google Are Positioning the Deal

Under the agreement, “the next generation of Apple Foundation Models will be based on Google’s Gemini models and cloud technology,” the companies said in a joint statement. They said the models will help power future Apple Intelligence features, including “a more personalized Siri” that is due this year.

Apple framed the deal as a technology choice rather than a retreat from its own artificial intelligence ambitions. “After careful evaluation,” Apple concluded Google’s AI offered “the most capable foundation” for Apple Foundation Models, the companies said. They added that Apple Intelligence will continue to run on Apple devices and through Apple’s Private Cloud Compute, while “maintaining Apple’s industry-leading privacy standards.”

Competitive Context

The partnership follows months of scrutiny over Apple’s progress in generative AI as rivals poured billions into chips, data centers, and frontier model development, and as smartphone competitors marketed AI-first devices. Apple has pitched Apple Intelligence as an on-device system complemented by a tightly controlled cloud option, but key upgrades, especially to Siri, have taken longer than the company initially suggested.

The non-exclusive structure leaves Apple room to keep multiple model providers in play. Apple already works with OpenAI to integrate ChatGPT with Siri and Apple Intelligence, giving users the option to route more complex requests to ChatGPT.

Analysts and legal experts said the new tie-up could raise familiar questions about the Apple-Google relationship, which has long blended rivalry and cooperation, most notably through Google’s default search placement on Apple devices.

Emphasis on Privacy

Morningstar analyst William Kerwin told The Verge that the joint statement’s emphasis on Private Cloud Compute suggests the arrangement will look, from a privacy perspective, similar to Apple’s existing model handoffs, with Apple likely seeking permission before sharing data directly with Google. Morningstar analysts said the agreement could help Apple’s privacy reputation “remain intact,” because Apple would use Gemini instances on its own servers and in its own data centers via Private Cloud Compute, The Verge reported.