Your iPhone's AI features could actually be powered by Google's Gemini

Last month, Apple CEO Tim Cook confirmed that the company is working on bringing generative AI features to its software platforms, including iOS 18. To further strengthen its AI efforts, the Cupertino tech giant also acquired a Canadian AI startup called DarwinAI a few days ago. But what none of us anticipated was Apple holding talks with Google for allowing Gemini to power generative AI features in iPhones.

According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, Apple is in talks with Google for a potential partnership to bring Gemini’s generative AI features to iOS 18-powered iPhones. However, Apple will not completely rely on Google for the AI features on iPhones. Several AI features will be based on its own model, as per Gurman. This also explains why Apple recently acquired the Canadian AI startup.

However, Apple hasn’t finalized whether to strike a deal with Google for bringing generative AI to iOS 18-powered iPhones. If the report is to be believed, the company also held talks with OpenAI before opening discussions with Google. IApple is unlikely to waste much time deciding which company to strike a deal with because iOS 18 is expected to be released in September this year. So, if the company has to enter a partnership with anyone regarding AI, it’ll likely do so in the next couple of months.

While all of this sounds exciting, how exactly Apple will implement Gemini’s or OpenAI’s generative features in its iPhones is unknown. Maybe one of the ways it can introduce those generative AI capabilities is through Siri. Since we’ve already heard rumors of Apple working on bringing AI-powered Siri to iOS 18, we now have one more reason to believe that Gemini or ChatGPT could be responsible for handling its AI operations.