Apple has also recently discussed the prospects of cooperation with ChatGPT developer OpenAI.
Mark Gurman from Bloomberg, citing his own sources at Apple, writes, that the company is negotiating with Google to integrate the Gemini AI engine into the iPhone. Apple also considered the possibility of using the GPT large language model and held discussions with OpenAI.
Apple and Google have been linked by a search partnership for many years — Alphabet paid billions to the iPhone maker every year to have its search engine as a default in the Safari browser. The two sides have not yet decided on the terms of the AI deal or how it will be implemented, Gurman’s sources said.
The deal will bring Gemini closer to billions of potential users, but it also shows that Apple is not too far along in developing its own alternative (and it is interesting how antitrust regulators will react to it — Google’s current cooperation with Apple on search is already the subject of a lawsuit by the US Department of Justice and criticized in the EU).
Apple is planning a number of new features based on its own artificial intelligence models to release in iOS 18 — however, they will focus on features that run on devices rather than through the cloud. This includes an updated Siri and AI integration into «Messages», Apple Music, Keynote and Pages, etc.
Back in early 2023, there were reports that Apple was testing the own large language model, code-named Ajax. Some employees also tested a basic chatbot called Apple GPT. But, according to Gourmet’s sources, these technologies remain inferior to Google’s and other competitors’ tools, so the partnership looks like a better option.
Recently, Gemini got into a scandal, when it inaccurately generated queries about people’s races. Google CEO Sundar Pichai called the actions «unacceptable» and ordered to temporarily suspend image generation.
It is worth mentioning that Apple CEO Tim Cook promised to make «a big announcement about AI» already this year. Last year, he said that he was using ChatGPT himself, but noted that it had «several problems that needed to be sorted out». Cook promised that new AI features would be coming to Apple’s platforms on a «very thoughtful basis».
Gurman notes that using AI features from another company also potentially reduces the level of responsibility for Apple.