According to Bloomberg, Apple is currently engaged in “active negotiations” with Google to incorporate its Gemini generative AI technology into the iPhone. Additionally, the tech giant has explored the possibility of leveraging OpenAI’s ChatGPT for its AI ambitions.
CEO Tim Cook has confirmed Apple’s strong focus on artificial intelligence features, with plans to introduce them to customers later in the year. It’s speculated that Apple’s AI features may utilize a combination of first-party and third-party AI models. While Apple’s own models could power on-device generative AI with the upcoming iOS 18 release, cloud-based AI functionalities, such as text- and image-generation, could be facilitated through partnerships with companies like Google.
If the negotiations with Google come to fruition, Apple would join other manufacturers, such as Samsung, in utilizing Google’s AI technology to enhance smartphone features. The potential integration of Google’s AI tech into Apple’s devices is yet to be determined, but it could significantly expand the reach of Google’s AI tools to the vast user base of over 2 billion iPhones worldwide.
However, such a deal could be seen as a concession by Apple, indicating that its in-house generative AI technology may be lagging behind competitors. While Apple has been testing its own chatbot called Apple GPT and reportedly has a large language model codenamed Ajax, its AI capabilities are perceived to be less advanced compared to rivals.
The ongoing negotiations and potential partnership are unlikely to be announced before Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) in June, suggesting that consumers may need to wait a while longer for details on Apple’s AI integration plans.
