Apple Considering Bringing Google Gemini AI to iPhone and Mac
Following Apple’s WWDC keynote, Apple executives Craig Federighi and John Giannandrea spoke with tech YouTuber iJustine about the company’s AI future and hinted at a possible Google Gemini collaboration.
Federighi, as 9to5Mac reports, expressed the aim to eventually allow Apple users to pick their preferred artificial intelligence model.
“We think ultimately people are going to have a preference perhaps for certain models that they want to use, maybe one that’s great for creative writing or one that they prefer for coding. And so we want to enable users ultimately to bring a model of their choice,” Federighi explained. “And so we may look forward to doing integrations with different models like Google Gemini in the future. I mean, nothing to announce right now, but that’s our direction.”
So far, Apple has only announced a partnership with OpenAI’s ChatGPT “because Apple wanted to ‘start with the best,” according to Federighi.
When AI model expansion might happen is anyone’s guess. Apple tends to keep quiet about future plans before they’re set. This was evident when Apple CEO Tim Cook first hinted at AI several months ago. Cook gave little information beyond the company merely planning to bring such capabilities within the coming months, a promise the company made good on at Monday’s WWDC keynote.
Further, the new information from Federighi supports a Bloomberg report from March, which said Apple and Google were “in active negotiations” to bring Gemini to iPhone.
“A deal would give Gemini a key edge with billions of potential users. But it also may be a sign that Apple isn’t as far along with its AI efforts as some might have hoped — and threatens to draw further anti-trust scrutiny of both companies,” Bloomberg‘s Mark Gurman wrote at the time.
However, Gurman further speculated the partnership could have come during WWDC, which of course did not materialize. But Federighi’s comments give cause for optimism that such a collaboration could come in time.
Until then, “Apple Intelligence” will be available in beta form, including with free access to ChatGPT, this fall on certain iPhone and Mac models.
Image credits: Apple / Google
