In Brief

Apple’s Siri overhaul may include an AI-powered web search tool with technology powered by Google’s Gemini, according to a new report from Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman. The iPhone maker, which has been criticized for falling behind in the AI race, delayed its long-awaited Siri update until 2026. In the meantime, the company has been scrambling to determine whether its own AI models alone will work well enough to make its upgraded Siri competitive with the AI answer engines available today from tech companies like OpenAI, Perplexity, and Google.

Per Bloomberg, Apple could be turning to Google for a solution to its problems. The report claims that Apple and Google reached a formal agreement this week that will see Apple testing a Google AI model in Siri. If successful, the technology could also be used in other areas of iPhone software, including the Safari browser and Spotlight search, which is available on the Home Screen.

In previous years, Spotlight seemed to be ramping up to become a rival of sorts to Google, as it allowed iPhone users to bypass web searches to get basic answers about popular topics, like information about actors, musicians, TV shows, and movies, among other things. With AI chatbots, however, consumers can now source quick answers about a wide range of topics beyond those that could be found on Wikipedia.

The report suggests that the upgraded search experience’s interface will use a combination of text, photos, videos, and local points of interest, as well as an AI-powered summarization feature. It will also be able to tap into users’ personal data and let them navigate their devices via voice.

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