Apple is looking to partner with Google for a mega deal to leverage the Gemini AI model for features on iPhone. Bloomberg reported. This will put Google in a dominant position, as the company already has an agreement with Apple as the preferred search engine provider on iPhones for the Safari browser.
The publication cited people familiar with the matter as saying that Apple is looking to license AI technology from Google to introduce AI-powered features with iOS updates later this year. Additionally, the company also held talks with OpenAI to potentially use GPT models, Bloomberg said.
There is growing pressure on Apple to catch up with competitors in the field of artificial intelligence, such as OpenAI, Microsoft, Anthropic and even Google. In February, Apple CEO Tim Cook said the company will introduce Gen-AI will be introduced “later this year.”
Company job postings over the past year have suggested that Apple is working on multiple internal and external tools powered by generative AI. However, talk of using third-party AI technology means that Apple has not made as much progress as expected in its own AI efforts.
Apple’s own models could boost some of the device’s features in the upcoming iOS 18 software update, which is expected to be announced at the Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) historically held in June. However, the company is exploring partnering with a third-party vendor for generative AI use cases, such as creating images and helping users write.
Google has had its own set of problems with Gemini. Last month, the company had to pause its imaging feature after the model created images with historical inaccuracies. Later, Google CEO Sundar Pichai said that Gemini’s responses were “completely unacceptable”. Last week, Google said it is blocking queries related to elections in Gemini across the globe. But TechCrunch found that users could get around those restrictions by introducing typos into some queries.
Despite these setbacks, Google has an advantage when it comes to launching smartphone-related features. Earlier this year, the company partnered with Samsung to introduce Gemini-powered AI features on Galaxy S24 series of devices. The search giant also launched these features on its own Pixel series of phones.
We’ve reached out to Apple and Google for comment and will update the story if we hear back from them.