Apple is moving closer to an unusual AI partnership: using Google technology to help rebuild Siri. According to Bloomberg, Apple is nearing a deal that would have the iPhone maker pay Google roughly $1 billion a year for a custom version of Google’s Gemini AI model.
The model would support Apple’s planned overhaul of Siri and a slate of upcoming features for the voice assistant. The reported arrangement matters because Apple has traditionally leaned on its own technology, while this deal would bring in a major outside AI model for a central part of the Apple experience.
A temporary AI bridge for Siri
The most important detail is that Apple does not appear to be treating Google’s model as a permanent replacement for its own AI work. Bloomberg reports that Apple plans to use Google’s model as a temporary solution until its own AI becomes powerful enough.
That framing shows the practical problem Apple is trying to solve. Siri is expected to receive a major overhaul, but the model Apple currently uses for cloud-based Apple Intelligence is far smaller than the custom Gemini model described in the report. If Apple wants to deliver new Siri features sooner, an outside model could help bridge the gap while its internal technology catches up.
This would still be a major shift in approach. Siri is one of Apple’s most visible software products, and the voice assistant sits close to the core iPhone experience. Bringing in Google AI for that role would signal that Apple is willing to use outside help when the capability gap is large enough.
Why the model size stands out
The custom Gemini AI model cited in the report has 1.2 trillion parameters. Parameters are a measure of the software’s complexity and capability, and the comparison with Apple’s current model is stark.
The current cloud-based version of Apple Intelligence uses 150 billion parameters. On that basis, Google’s custom model would be roughly eight times more complex.
That does not explain every part of model quality on its own, but it does show why Apple may be looking beyond its existing systems for the Siri overhaul. A larger and more complex model could support more demanding assistant features than a smaller one, which is central to the logic of the reported deal.
The numbers also help explain why this is not just another vendor agreement. Apple would be paying roughly $1 billion a year for a custom model from Google, and the scale of that model would far exceed the level of Apple’s current cloud-based Apple Intelligence model.
Apple tested other AI options
Google was not the only company Apple considered. According to the source, Apple had also considered using AI models from OpenAI and Anthropic earlier this year.
After testing models from all three companies, Apple chose to move forward with Google. That sequence is important because it suggests the reported Google path followed a comparison process, not a single-option decision.
- Google: Apple is nearing a deal for a custom version of Gemini AI.
- OpenAI: Apple considered using its AI models earlier this year.
- Anthropic: Apple also considered its AI models earlier this year.
The source does not say why Google won out over OpenAI or Anthropic. What is clear is that Apple tested models from all three companies and then moved forward with Google.
What could change before launch
The overhauled Siri is expected to launch next spring, according to Bloomberg. That gives Apple time to continue shaping the product, and the report notes that plans for the revamp could change because the launch is still months away.
That caveat matters. A near deal is not the same as a finished product in users’ hands. The business terms, technical plan, and feature set could still shift before the new Siri arrives.
Even with that uncertainty, the direction is clear enough to be significant. Apple wants a more capable Siri, its own AI is not yet described as powerful enough for the full job, and Google’s custom Gemini model is positioned as the temporary engine that could help power the transition.
For users, the visible result would not be the deal itself. It would be whether Siri feels meaningfully different when the overhaul arrives. For Apple, the test is broader: it must improve the assistant while still keeping its long-term AI ambitions centered on its own technology.
The bigger strategic signal
The reported deal sits at the intersection of product urgency and platform control. Apple has traditionally relied on its own technology, but the Siri overhaul appears to require capabilities beyond the level of its current cloud-based Apple Intelligence model.
Using a custom Gemini model would let Apple move forward with upcoming Siri features while continuing to develop its own AI. That balance explains why the arrangement is described as temporary, even though the annual payment would be large.
The result is a practical, high-stakes compromise. Apple would rely on Google’s AI strength to improve Siri in the near term, while still aiming to make its own AI powerful enough over time. If the plan holds, the next version of Siri could become one of the clearest examples yet of how Apple is adapting its AI strategy around capability, timing, and control.