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Microsoft and Google have been busy over the past year announcing new generative AI models for use in their latest products, while Apple has remained on the sidelines. It’s been reported that Apple would eventually wade into the fray in 2024 when it launches iOS 18 along with new iPhones in September. Still, it was expected Apple would have developed its own AI model to replace Siri. Now, it’s being reported that Apple might just use Google’s Gemini AI instead, which could upend the AI industry and give Google a gigantic advantage over its rivals.
As we all know, Apple has used Google’s search engine in Safari since the original iPhone debuted in 2007. Google pays Apple billions of dollars each year for this coveted position within the search industry. Now, Bloomberg is reporting that the two companies might extend this relationship to include Google’s Gemini AI, which would power new AI features in the next version of the iPhone. Apple is reportedly also talking to OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT. The only issue with this arrangement is that OpenAI currently has a deal with Microsoft, as its technology powers its AI tools known as Copilot for the Bing search engine, Edge browser, and Windows 11.
If Apple hands over its billions of users to Google’s AI technology, it would be a gigantic win for Google that will have major ramifications on which company “wins” the AI arms race. It’s also a sign that Apple is throwing up its hands in developing its own AI model for the Mac and iPhone. In July 2023, it was reported that Apple was investing heavily in its own version of ChatGPT, colloquially named AppleGPT. It was thought Apple would be revamping Siri into an AI chatbot similar to ChatGPT with the next version of its mobile OS, which would also find its way into macOS. Now it appears Apple might just be interested in having Google’s AI technology do the heavy lifting instead of integrating its own solution, which would assuredly be a lucrative deal for Apple.
Bloomberg notes that such a move by Apple could draw the attention of government regulators, who are already accusing Apple and Google of constructing a monopoly in mobile search. As companies seek to become the dominant player in the nascent AI market, it could become the next battlefield for antitrust lawsuits if competition is stifled. Google has consistently argued that users can switch their preferred search engine to something else. Still, it seems doubtful that this would be the case if a company’s technology is used for AI baked into the operating system.
We still don’t know what Apple has planned for generative AI and iOS, as it’s yet to discuss its plans publicly. The company is expected to give users a peak in June at its WWDC developer conference, when it typically unveils its upcoming mobile OS. None of the parties involved in these discussions offered any comment to Bloomberg, but previously, Google took some heat for being misleading with its Gemini rollout demo. The company seemed to want to get an AI model to market immediately after being caught flat-footed by ChatGPT’s sudden success. It has now rolled its former assistant named Bard into an all-in-one platform it calls Gemini.