Apple in talks with Google to give Siri a new Gemini brain, internal ‘bake off’ underway: Report

By Admin

23 Aug, 2025

Apple is reportedly exploring a major shift in its voice assistant strategy, with early discussions underway to power Siri with Google’s Gemini AI models. According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, the Cupertino-based tech giant is considering using Gemini as the foundation for Siri’s biggest update yet, though a final decision is still several weeks away.

Siri’s Long-Awaited Overhaul

Apple had first announced its ambitious plans for a revamped Siri at WWDC 2024, but the update has faced over a year of delays due to engineering setbacks. Now, Apple is looking at outside partners to accelerate progress. The company has already approached Google, Anthropic, and OpenAI to evaluate their AI models Claude, ChatGPT, and Gemini as potential backbones for the next-gen Siri.

Custom Models and Apple’s Bake-Off

In addition to evaluating external AI providers, Apple is also developing its own internal AI models. The company is currently holding an internal “bake-off” between two competing versions of Siri:

• Linwood – Powered by Apple’s in-house AI models
  
  

• Glenwood – Built on external AI models like Gemini or ChatGPT
  
  

The goal of this competition is to determine which approach internal or external delivers the best performance, reliability, and privacy balance for millions of iPhone users.

Financial and Technical Factors

While Apple executives were initially inclined towards a deal with Anthropic, negotiations reportedly stalled due to financial terms demanded by the startup. This prompted Apple to expand talks with other companies, including Google.

If Apple opts for a third-party model like Gemini, the new Siri would likely run on Apple’s Private Cloud Compute servers, which are powered by Mac chips for secure remote AI processing. This would also mean that the next-gen Siri would not run directly on devices, but instead rely on Apple’s servers for advanced AI tasks.

A Separate Path from Apple Intelligence

It’s worth noting that these Siri discussions are distinct from Apple’s broader efforts with Apple Intelligence its new AI framework designed for iOS, iPadOS, and macOS. For more complex queries, Apple Intelligence already taps into ChatGPT, and Apple has confirmed it is exploring a similar arrangement with Google.

What’s Next for Siri?

With decisions still weeks away, Apple hasn’t ruled out the possibility of going fully in-house with its models. However, if talks with Google progress smoothly, Gemini could soon power one of the world’s most widely used voice assistants.

The race to reinvent Siri reflects Apple’s urgency to catch up in the fast-moving AI space where competitors like OpenAI, Google, and Anthropic are rapidly innovating. Whether Siri’s new brain comes from Gemini, Claude, ChatGPT, or Apple’s own labs, the upgrade marks a defining moment in Apple’s AI strategy for the years ahead.