AI Features on iPhones May Be Powered by Google's Gemini

Google Gemini on Apple's iPhones

Bloomberg's Mark Gurman has cited an internal source that described Apple is currently in active negotiation with Google to adopt and license Gemini models to enable AI-based features on the iPhone fleet. It was also mentioned that Apple had a similar discussion with OpenAI recently.

With such a note and potential, it appears Apple might not have finished developing its LLM and chatbot to what it has intended or wants to achieve. Hence, it is now out there borrowing technologies from already established AI companies.

If a deal materializes between Apple and Google, it was said that more details about the initiative, including how the models will be branded and work with Siri, would be announced at Apple's upcoming WWDC sometime in June. At the developers' conference, the iPhone maker will unveil iOS 18 and its in-house LLM internally dubbed as Ajax to developers.

For what we know, iOS 18 has been rumored to one of the biggest—if not the largest—major software updates to happen in years. Gurman has previously shed light about the firmware of featuring substantial UI changes as well as emphasizing the new AI features that will be added to the iPhones.

As for how the Cupertino tech company will utilize Google Gemini models, it was said that Apple could rely on the cloud-based AI features on iPhones, such as text-to-image generation and writing essays through single prompts.

Meanwhile, Apple is still seen to bring its on-device AI features to the table, but these could become exclusive with the iPhone 16, which is only possible with the new A18 chipset and the upgraded Neural Engine inside it.

Beyond AI, the two companies have an existing deal, with Google paying Apple to make its search engine the default search engine on Safari on Apple devices, including iPhones, iPads, and MacBooks.

And aside from Apple, Samsung is another mobile manufacturer that already taps Google's AI models. The Galaxy S24 and Galaxy S24 Ultra (review) debuted with some on-device and cloud-based AI features like the Click to Search and Live Translate.

What do you think of the possibility of the iPhones getting powered by Google's Gemini? Who will benefit the most from it? And does this show Apple is lagging in the AI race? We'd like to hear your opinion.

Source: Bloomberg