Apple has announced a multi-year partnership with rival Google to power its next-generation Siri voice assistant using Google’s Gemini artificial intelligence models, marking a major shift in the global AI landscape.
The deal, confirmed by both companies in a joint statement this week, will see Apple adopt Google’s Gemini models and cloud infrastructure as the backbone of its evolving Apple Intelligence platform. The collaboration is expected to deliver a more advanced, personalised and capable version of Siri, slated for release later in 2026.
The move represents Apple’s most significant artificial intelligence investment to date and is aimed at addressing long-standing limitations in Siri’s ability to handle complex, conversational and context-aware tasks. Compared with competitors such as Google Assistant and Amazon’s Alexa, Siri has often lagged in generative AI functionality.
Apple said the decision followed a “careful evaluation” of several AI technologies, adding that Gemini currently provides the most capable foundation for its needs. While the company had previously explored partnerships with OpenAI and other AI developers, Google’s solution emerged as its primary choice.
According to Apple, the upgraded Siri—expected to debut as early as iOS 26.4—will introduce enhanced factual knowledge, more natural conversational responses and improved personalisation based on user context. The new version is also expected to feature deeper integration with apps and on-screen actions, alongside expanded support for tasks such as scheduling, travel planning and content creation.
The development marks a shift away from Siri’s traditional role as a basic voice-command tool, repositioning it as a more proactive and intelligent digital assistant.
Despite relying on Google’s AI models, Apple stressed that user privacy remains central to the partnership. The company said most AI processing will continue to run on-device or through its Private Cloud Compute system, ensuring user data is not freely shared with Google’s infrastructure.
Industry analysts say the partnership significantly strengthens Google’s footprint across Apple’s global ecosystem of more than two billion active devices, while also underscoring the growing willingness of major tech rivals to collaborate amid intense competition in the AI race.
However, the deal has raised questions about the balance of power in artificial intelligence, given the deepening ties between two long-time competitors. Experts note that the partnership could reshape future collaboration and competition within the industry, particularly among leading AI players such as OpenAI.