After months of speculation, the iPhone maker chose Google’s Gemini Generator AI technology to improve its sluggish Apple Intelligence and Siri AI systems.
In a joint statement on Monday, the two tech giants said Gemini This will be the foundational platform on which Apple AI models will be based, and a “more personal” Siri voice assistant will arrive later this year.
This step appears to have been encroached upon Apple’s existing relationship with OpenAIWhich currently handles outbound generative AI queries while most of the Apple intelligence features and Siri work on devices. It also represents another blow to OpenAI’s GPT system, which has taken an early lead in the AI race saw our dominance coming to an end With the recent success of Gemini, both in terms of large language model (LLM) performance metrics and its entry into the enterprise market.
The agreement builds on Apple’s long relationship with Google, maker of the ubiquitous Chrome that is the default browser on Apple devices. Moreover, Apple doesn’t compete with Google on a large scale beyond some consumer hardware device markets, said analyst Mark Becque of Omdia, a division of Informa TechTarget.
“It also acknowledges Google as a leader in this field that is credible to the fundamental model,” Becque said. “And now Apple doesn’t have to reinvent the wheel. It realizes it doesn’t cost any money to make models.”
The arrangement enables Apple to focus on its core product suite and avoid distractions from AI “FOMO” (fear of missing out), said Johnna Till Johnson, CEO of Nemertes.
“ChatGPT may be the most famous LLM, but based on multiple independent tests it is also the least effective,” Johnson said.
Siri and privacy
A long-term limitation of Siri is that its voice recognition and other capabilities are limited compared to competitors like Amazon’s Alexa and Google’s voice assistants. This is largely due to Apple’s commitment to privacyThat includes limiting Siri’s training to content on its own servers, while Google can mine massive amounts of data across its search, e-commerce, and cloud ecosystem to refine its assistant’s natural language recognition and generation capabilities.
Since its founding in 1976, Apple has become the world’s most successful consumer technology vendor not just by leading in most areas, but by refining existing technologies and designing better versions of them, Bacque said. Examples include the iPhone, which follows the models of Palm, BlackBerry, and Microsoft, and the Mac personal computer line, which follows the IBM PC.
“Apple didn’t invent the smartphone, but it makes the best smartphones,” he said. “Apple has always been a fast follower.”
While Google’s involvement with Apple’s AI systems is expected to improve and expand Siri’s capabilities, Apple emphasized that Apple Intelligence will continue to run on Apple devices and Apple’s private cloud while maintaining Apple’s privacy standards.
The companies did not disclose financial details of the new relationship, but Bloomberg reported in November that Apple is expected to pay Google about $1 billion a year for the Gemini technology.
Meanwhile, Google is a good fit for Apple because, as a long-term partner, it appears to be significantly more stable than OpenAI, where its ability to generate future revenue and appeal to businesses remains uncertain, Johnson said. “Google has a long track record of business acumen, and since AI is key to its strategy, there’s a reasonable chance that its AI efforts will remain leading for the next several years,” he said.
