If you can't beat them, join them.It is with this logic that a surprise “wedding”, at least on the artificial intelligence front. Apple changes strategy e choose Google. After years of internal development, Cupertino has made official a multi-year partnership with Mountain View. A choice that will bring the next generation of Apple Intelligence , new Siri to be based on Gemini technology, Google's AI. Not a surrender, but a pragmatic move, designed to catch up in a race that is now travelling at industrial speed.
Apple chooses Google: Gemini becomes the invisible engine
After careful consideration, Apple has decided to establish their own Foundation Models on Google technology, identifying in Gemini the most solid foundation to accelerate AI development. Collaboration doesn't mean "using Gemini as a service," but deeply integrating derived and customized models into Apple's architecture. In essence, Apple retains control of the experience, while Google provides the brains.
According to the joint statement, the Gemini models, in various sizes, from the lightest to the very large scale ones, will power future Apple Intelligence features, including one Siri deeply revampedRumors also speak of a Gemini model custom of colossal size, developed for Cupertino, intended to progressively replace the internally trained Foundation Models.
Privacy and control: Google technology, Apple architecture
One of the The most sensitive points of the agreement concern the dataApple reiterated that Apple Intelligence will continue to run on devices and on Private Cloud Compute, with end-to-end encrypted requests and no access to user data by GoogleThe Gemini-derived models will run on Apple servers, separate from the Mountain View infrastructure.
This setting is consistent with the vision carried forward over the years by John Giannandrea (former head of AI at Google, who moved to Apple in 2018): On-device AI when possible, cloud only when necessary, and always under Apple's control. The team's recent restructuring and its Retirement scheduled for spring 2026 They do not erase this legacy, but rather explain the choice to partner with an industrial partner to fill a gap that had become evident.
What's changing for Siri and why Apple is accelerating now
The real test will be SiriThe new version of the assistant, expected by 2026 and planned for iOS 26.4, promises a much deeper understanding of personal context, greater screen awareness, and the ability to act across apps. No longer just commands, but complex conversations and actions, enabled by Gemini's multimodal capabilities.
Apple arrives at this choice after a period of evident slowdown. The internal models were not weak, but the The sector has moved at a speed that makes it difficult to compete without investment. and skills dedicated exclusively to AI. The loss of talent to competitors like Meta and the explosion of investment in the sector have made the change of direction almost inevitable.
ChatGPT remains, but its role changes
The partnership with Google does not cancel the agreement with OpenAI. ChatGPT will remain an explicit option for the user, can be activated on request for specific tasksGemini, on the other hand, will become the invisible engine that powers Apple Intelligence and the new Siri, deeply and seamlessly integrated into the system.
For Apple it is a defensive and offensive move together: defensive because it avoids being left behind in an already central technology; offensive because it allows for immediate acceleration, without sacrificing its principles of privacy and ecosystem control.
The field test will come with the first beta versions of the .4 systems. Only then will it be clear whether this historic alliance between two long-time rivals has truly given Siri a voice—and intelligence—again.
