Apple is amping up its artificial intelligence game, preparing to bring AI-powered search capabilities to Siri. The company is working behind the scenes with Google. They are using their Gemini models to make Siri smarter and more competitive with rivals ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Anthropic’s Claude. The revelation comes ahead of Apple’s highly anticipated iPhone 17 launch event scheduled for 9 September.
What’s Happening & Why This Matters
Apple is internally developing a tool called World Knowledge Answers, designed to enhance Siri’s ability to deliver rich, multimedia search results. Instead of just text responses, Siri will soon provide summaries with photos, videos, and other interactive elements.
The new AI-powered feature will first be integrated into Siri, but could later expand to Apple’s Safari browser and the Spotlight search function found on iPhones. According to sources cited by Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, Apple is testing Google’s AI models. However, they will host them on its Private Cloud Compute servers. The tech runs on Google’s Gemini models, but the branding remains purely Apple.
This partnership continues a long-standing relationship between Apple and Google. Apple reportedly earns around $20 billion annually from its deal to keep Google as the default search engine on Apple devices. A recent U.S. court ruling allows this agreement to continue, albeit with certain adjustments to prevent anti-competitive practices.
Interestingly, Apple also explored a partnership with Anthropic but ultimately walked away after the company requested $1.5 billion annually, a figure higher than what Google offered. Apple’s current focus is on enhancing its existing ecosystem rather than launching a direct chatbot competitor to ChatGPT. However, insiders suggest that a proprietary chatbot remains a long-term possibility.
As Apple gears up for the iPhone 17 launch, these AI advancements aim to position Siri as a smarter, more capable assistant. The timing signals Apple’s broader push to integrate AI deeply across its platforms. Users remain within its ecosystem rather than turning to external services for advanced search capabilities.
TF Summary: What’s Next
Apple’s move to integrate Gemini-powered AI search into Siri marks a pivotal shift in how users interact with their devices. By blending Google’s advanced AI models with its privacy-first infrastructure, Apple is creating a unique, secure search experience. The coming months will reveal whether this collaboration gives Siri the boost it needs to compete with the likes of ChatGPT and Gemini.
PREDICTION: With the iPhone 17 event around the corner, expect Apple to share bold announcements. Any announcements will not be limited to hardware upgrades, but deepen its commitment to AI innovation.
— Text-to-Speech (TTS) provided by gspeech