Apple nears deal to pay Google $1B annually to power new Siri, report says

Apple is nearing a deal with Google in which the iPhone maker will pay the tech giant about $1 billion a year for a modified version of Google’s Gemini AI model to power Siri’s overhaul, according to a new report from Bloomberg.

The move is a big one for Apple, which has traditionally relied on its own technology but plans to use Google’s model as a workaround until its own AI becomes powerful enough, including to power a range of upcoming voice assistant features.

The custom AI model’s 1.2 trillion parameters – a measure of the software’s complexity and capabilities – would far exceed the level of Apple’s current models. For context, the current cloud-based version of Apple Intelligence uses 150 billion parameters, meaning Google’s model would be roughly eight times more complex.

Apple had also considered using AI models from OpenAI and Anthropic earlier this year. After testing models from all three companies, Apple chose it continue with Google.

According to Bloomberg, the updated Siri is expected to launch next spring. However, because the launch is still months away, plans for the renewal may change.