“Artificial intelligence is the new electricity.” - Andrew Ng, Co-founder of Google Brain and Coursera
Apple and Google unite for AI innovation
Apple Inc. is nearing a major $1 billion-a-year agreement with Google to integrate its Gemini AI model into Siri. The collaboration aims to rebuild Siri’s underlying technology with Google’s 1.2 trillion parameter model, representing a major leap over Apple’s existing AI capabilities and setting the stage for Siri’s next evolution.
They tested many
Apple’s decision comes after testing several large models, including OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Anthropic’s Claude. The partnership is intended as an interim solution until Apple’s in-house AI models mature. Apple plans to launch the enhanced Siri, code-named Linwood, in iOS 26.4 soon.
Expanding power through Google’s Gemini
The Gemini system marks a substantial advance from Apple’s current 150 billion parameter model, dramatically improving Siri’s ability to process data and understand complex context. Apple and Google’s engineers are developing a customized version that will run on Apple’s Private Cloud Compute servers to ensure data privacy and independence from Google’s infrastructure.
Cautious yet strategic
Despite the scale of the deal, Apple remains cautious. It views Gemini as a temporary boost, not a permanent solution. The company continues to invest heavily in developing its own AI infrastructure and training a trillion-parameter model for consumer use by next year, aiming to reclaim leadership in AI.
Implications for global AI competitiveness
The move signifies Apple’s acknowledgment of lagging behind competitors in AI. Still, by combining forces with Google, Apple positions Siri to regain momentum. Apple also aims to localize future AI models for China, though the Google-based version may not debut there.
Summary
Apple is finalizing a $1 billion-a-year deal with Google to use the Gemini AI model in Siri. The partnership aims to enhance Siri’s intelligence while Apple continues developing its own large-scale AI systems to achieve long-term independence in artificial intelligence.
Food for thought
Will Apple’s dependence on Google’s AI delay or accelerate its vision of self-reliant artificial intelligence?
AI concept to learn: Large Language Models
Large language models are advanced AI systems trained on vast amounts of text data to understand and generate human-like language. They use billions or trillions of parameters to analyze context, predict words, and perform reasoning, powering applications like chatbots, assistants, and translation tools.
[The Billion Hopes Research Team shares the latest AI updates for learning and awareness. Various sources are used. All copyrights acknowledged. This is not a professional, financial, personal or medical advice. Please consult domain experts before making decisions. Feedback welcome!]
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