Yesterday, Apple invited Google into its inner circle to find and correct the errors of past AI leadership and finally deliver the next-gen Siri it promised years back, except with Gemini AI at the helm. The deal, reportedly worth $1 billion per year, was announced in the form of a joint statement, which stopped short of revealing what the partnership could mean for consumers. A new report from The Information sheds some light on what’s to come.
The Apple of Google’s AI
Apple, it seems, has organised its paperwork correctly. Part of that hefty yearly fee will allow the Fruit Company to retain its branding, with no Gemini branding in answers. The report also mentions that Apple can ask Google to “tweak aspects of how the Gemini model works,” but that Apple could still fine-tune it to be more… Apple.
Siri, as it stands, isn’t all too great at answering your questions — typically defaulting to just providing a Google link and leaving the rest in the user’s hands. That will improve under Gemini’s stewardship, as will the assistant’s emotional capabilities, offering more “thorough conversational responses the way ChatGPT and Gemini do”.
A request that might have previously baffled Siri, which ultimately led to a “I don’t understand” response, is also expected to be overhauled. Instead of giving up, the new-and-improved Siri will do better at identifying a user’s question, even if worded poorly or incorrectly.
“While certain common Siri tasks such as setting a timer, reminder or sending a specific text message to a phone contact will continue to be powered by technology stored on Apple devices, the new version of Siri would also be able to handle instances in which the customer’s question isn’t clearly understood,” The Information wrote.
Finally, the report mentions that customers shouldn’t expect all these features at once, and that Apple’s opting for a more gradual rollout. Some of the features, like Siri being able to remember past conversations, will get their start at WWDC this June, while others may spend a little more time in the oven, though still on track for 2026.
