The AI Alliance: Apple Taps Google Gemini to Power the New Siri

13 January 2026: Apple and Google have issued a joint statement confirming a landmark multi-year strategic alliance, with Apple set to integrate Google’s Gemini models and cloud infrastructure as the bedrock of its Apple Foundation Models to power a highly personalised Siri and broader Apple Intelligence features later this year.

According to CNBC and Bloomberg, after an exhaustive evaluation Apple says Gemini offers the most capable foundation to bolster its proprietary models, meaning Siri will no longer rely solely on Apple’s in-house tech. The evolution of Siri is anticipated to debut alongside iOS 26.4 or during WWDC 2026, while Apple maintains that on-device operation and its Private Cloud Compute architecture will continue to protect user data, with Gemini acting as the knowledge repository and inference engine.

Market analysts perceive this as Apple ceding ground in the AI arms race, with reports suggesting an annual licensing fee of approximately $1 billion for the partnership. The arrangement sees Google handling the computational demands of billions of iPhones, even as Apple remains focused on privacy and its own silicon, raising questions about how this will influence Apple’s future AI roadmap.