Apple's iPhone AI Could Have A Google Heart As New Tech Overrules Old Rivalries
Apple's entry into the generative AI segment has been a topic of hot speculation ever since products like ChatGPT, Google's Gemini, and Microsoft Copilot arrived on the scene. It seems instead of pushing ahead with the rumored "Apple GPT," the company is pinning its hopes on the tech stack from rivals like Google to put AI tricks on its hardware. Specifically, Apple is eyeing the Gemini series of AI models developed, according to Bloomberg.
"The two companies are in active negotiations to let Apple license Gemini, Google's set of generative AI models, to power some new features coming to the iPhone software this year," says the report. Apple is reportedly planning to deploy its proprietary AI models — currently in development under the codename "Ajax" — for new features that are slated to arrive with iOS 18. However, those features are mostly geared toward on-device features, instead of the cloud-tethered format that most generated AI products tend to follow these days.
Assuming Gemini eventually lands on iPhones, we are potentially looking at capabilities like original text generation and summarization, text-to-image creation, faster translation, using AI to identify on-screen as well as real-world objects, and integration with Google's suite of products. However, Gemini hasn't yet blossomed into a Google Assistant replacement yet, so it's unlikely that Apple will put Siri on the backseat in the immediate future, assuming that the deal goes through in the first place.
It's a tricky road ahead
Interestingly, the Bloomberg report speculates that Apple's own AI efforts aren't at the same level as that of rivals like Google. However, it's not just Google's Gemini that is being considered for a licensing deal. OpenAI is also in contention to ink a deal with Apple. Right now, OpenAI's tech stack — which includes products like GPT-4 and Dall-E image engine — is nearly everywhere on Microsoft products, from the Windows 11 taskbar and Edge browser to Office 365 suite of productivity tools.
Gemini, on the other hand, is already available on-device with a similar licensing deal for Samsung Galaxy S24 phones, aside from Google's own Pixel 8 Pro. Moreover, the more powerful Gemini models are available via a subscription to the Google One AI Premium bundle. How exactly Apple plans to bring Gemini AI models to the iPhone — and whether it breathes new life into the laggard that is Siri — remains to be seen.
However, a deal with Google, which already pays billions of dollars to Apple each year to keep Google Search on iPhones, won't exactly slide past anti-trust regulators. Certainly not in the EU bloc, where the AI Act was passed earlier this month. However, an OpenAI partnership won't be a cakewalk either, as the company leads the global AI race with products like ChatGPT and Sora, while its strong financial ties with Microsoft will also stand out as a sore point from a market competition perspective.