Apple is reportedly in talks to license Google Gemini for Siri

In the ongoing, high-stakes AI arms race between the world’s biggest tech companies, there are rumors of a stunning and almost unbelievable new development. According to a new report from Bloomberg News (via Mashable) Apple is in active talks with Google to license its powerful Gemini AI models to be the new brain behind a future, upgraded version of Siri.

Let that sink in for a moment. Apple, the company that prides itself on vertical integration and building its own core technologies, may turn to its biggest rival, Google, to fix and supercharge its often-criticized voice assistant. This is a wild turn of events and a potential admission from Apple that its own in-house efforts are not progressing fast enough.

What the report claims

The report cites sources familiar with the matter and claims that Apple approached Google about creating a custom version of Gemini that could power the next generation of Siri. In turn, Google has reportedly been testing a model that would be capable of running on Apple’s own servers: a likely requirement for any such deal.

This potential partnership would be for an anticipated Siri upgrade that is now possibly slated for a 2026 release, highlighting the long and difficult road Apple has faced in modernizing its assistant.

This news doesn’t come in a vacuum. For months, reports have detailed Apple’s internal debate between building its own large language model from scratch (a project reportedly codenamed “Linwood”) and seeking an external partner (“Glenwood”). The company has apparently explored partnerships with other major AI players, including OpenAI and Anthropic, before now reportedly circling back to its oldest and biggest competitor.

Why this is so significant if true

A deal of this magnitude would be a seismic shift in the tech world, but it wouldn’t be without precedent. Google already pays Apple billions of dollars a year to be the default search engine in Safari. A Gemini-for-Siri deal would be a massive extension of that complex “frenemy” relationship into the new era of AI.

For Google, it would be a monumental win, further cementing Gemini’s position as a leading AI platform and placing its core technology on the billion-plus Apple devices around the world. For Apple, it would be a pragmatic, if perhaps humbling, way to quickly close the gap in the AI assistant race where Siri has seriously lagged behind.

While neither company has confirmed the talks, the mere fact that they are reportedly happening is a fascinating story in itself. It highlights the immense pressure of the AI race and the strange high-level relationships it can create. We’ll be watching this one very, very closely.