Apple to unveil Gemini-powered Siri update in February: Report
Apple is set to announce a new version of Siri in the second half of February, according to a Bloomberg report published on Sunday.
The update, which is central to the company's partnership with Google, will leverage the latter's Gemini AI models as Apple looks to evolve Siri beyond being a traditional voice-based assistant.
Apple plans to equip Siri with advanced genAI capabilities, enabling it to perform tasks by drawing context from users’ personal data as well as information displayed on their screens.
The move aligns with the company's broader push into generative artificial intelligence under its Apple Intelligence initiative, a strategy that was prominently outlined at the Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) 2024.
The February release is expected to precede a more substantial Siri overhaul that Apple plans to announce at the WWDC in June. The report added that this later version of Siri will be more conversational, similar to chatbots such as ChatGPT, and could operate directly on Google’s cloud infrastructure.
Earlier this month, Apple cited Gemini as the most capable foundation for delivering new user experiences.
Reports of talks between the two companies first surfaced in August last year, when a Bloomberg report claimed Apple was exploring the use of a custom Gemini model for Siri. While the terms of the deal were not disclosed, it reported that Apple was planning to pay about $1 billion per year to utilise Google's AI technology.
ET reported that Apple had been delaying its major Siri AI upgrade, acknowledging it would take longer than expected to deliver promised features. This also comes as Apple has seen significant C-suite exits since last year, particularly in its AI and design teams.
xAI chief Elon Musk was, however, not pleased by the AI partnership between Apple and Google.
"This seems like an unreasonable concentration of power for Google, given that [they] also have Android and Chrome," Musk wrote in a post on X. He serves as CEO of xAI, the company behind Grok, a direct competitor to Google's Gemini AI.
The update, which is central to the company's partnership with Google, will leverage the latter's Gemini AI models as Apple looks to evolve Siri beyond being a traditional voice-based assistant.
Apple plans to equip Siri with advanced genAI capabilities, enabling it to perform tasks by drawing context from users’ personal data as well as information displayed on their screens.
The move aligns with the company's broader push into generative artificial intelligence under its Apple Intelligence initiative, a strategy that was prominently outlined at the Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) 2024.
The February release is expected to precede a more substantial Siri overhaul that Apple plans to announce at the WWDC in June. The report added that this later version of Siri will be more conversational, similar to chatbots such as ChatGPT, and could operate directly on Google’s cloud infrastructure.
Earlier this month, Apple cited Gemini as the most capable foundation for delivering new user experiences.
Reports of talks between the two companies first surfaced in August last year, when a Bloomberg report claimed Apple was exploring the use of a custom Gemini model for Siri. While the terms of the deal were not disclosed, it reported that Apple was planning to pay about $1 billion per year to utilise Google's AI technology.
ET reported that Apple had been delaying its major Siri AI upgrade, acknowledging it would take longer than expected to deliver promised features. This also comes as Apple has seen significant C-suite exits since last year, particularly in its AI and design teams.
xAI chief Elon Musk was, however, not pleased by the AI partnership between Apple and Google.
"This seems like an unreasonable concentration of power for Google, given that [they] also have Android and Chrome," Musk wrote in a post on X. He serves as CEO of xAI, the company behind Grok, a direct competitor to Google's Gemini AI.
Next Story