Apple selects Google Gemini to power next‑gen Siri under multi‑year deal
Apple and Google have confirmed a new multi‑year agreement under which Google’s Gemini AI models and cloud technology will underpin the next generation of Apple’s own foundation models, including a more personalized version of Siri expected later this year. The companies say Gemini will run either on‑device or on Apple‑controlled servers to meet Apple’s privacy standards, though they have not specified what, if any, access Google will have to user data. Bloomberg previously reported Apple could pay on the order of $1 billion a year for Google’s models, underscoring that Apple — long seen as lagging on generative AI — is now buying core technology from a competitor rather than relying solely on in‑house systems. The arrangement comes on the heels of a 2024 antitrust ruling that found Google holds an illegal search monopoly and barred it from certain multi‑year exclusive deals, raising questions about how this AI contract fits within those limits, even as a source told Axios the agreement is non‑exclusive and not about search or Gemini app distribution. For U.S. consumers, the deal could finally bring more capable AI features to Siri and other Apple products, but it also deepens Apple’s dependence on Google at exactly the moment regulators are trying to curb Google’s market power.
📌 Key Facts
- Apple and Google announced a multi‑year deal for Google’s Gemini models to power Apple’s next‑generation foundation models and future Apple Intelligence features, including a more personalized Siri.
- Apple says Gemini will run either on‑device or from Apple’s own servers for privacy reasons, but neither company has detailed what access Google will have to Apple customers’ data.
- The deal follows a 2024 ruling that Google holds an illegal online‑search monopoly and cannot enter certain multi‑year exclusive agreements; a source says this contract is non‑exclusive and unrelated to search or Gemini app distribution.
- Bloomberg previously estimated Apple might pay around $1 billion per year to license Google’s Gemini models.
📊 Relevant Data
In August 2024, a U.S. District Court ruled that Google unlawfully monopolized the markets for general search services and general search text ads, leading to remedies finalized in 2025 that prohibit Google from entering multi-year exclusive agreements, including for generative AI products, and require sharing search data with rivals.
District Court Holds That Google Unlawfully Monopolizes Online General Search Markets — Congressional Research Service
As of January 2026, Google Gemini holds approximately 21.5% of the global traffic share among generative AI chatbots, up from 5.7% a year prior, while ChatGPT's share has declined from 86% to around 64%.
Google's Gemini eats into ChatGPT's market share, Grok overtakes Perplexity — Trending Topics
Apple has experienced significant delays in delivering promised AI features since 2024, including multiple postponements of an improved Siri, leadership changes in its AI division, and internal morale issues due to stalled projects.
Apple's AI Leadership Shakeup Won't Fix Its Fundamental Problems — Tech Between the Lines
Under the Apple-Google deal, Gemini models will operate on Apple's devices or private cloud compute to uphold privacy standards, but specifics on Google's access to user data remain undisclosed, raising potential concerns similar to past scrutiny over data-sharing in search agreements.
Apple confirms Google Gemini will power Siri, says privacy remains a priority — Bleeping Computer
📊 Analysis & Commentary (1)
"The piece is an opinion‑oriented rebuttal to alarmist takes about AI job destruction (prompted by large commercial deployments like Apple’s Gemini deal), arguing that AI will reconfigure work and spur new occupations if firms and policymakers invest in training, safety, and governance rather than pursue fearful prohibitions."
📰 Source Timeline (1)
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