Two of the biggest tech companies in the world may be poised to change how users access AI.
Apple is reportedly talking to Google about building Google’s Gemini artificial intelligence technology directly into iPhones, Bloomberg reports.
The two companies are actively negotiating how Apple can license Google’s newest AI to bring new features to the iPhone, the report says.
Google CEO Sundar Pichai (L) and Apple CEO Tim Cook (R). Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images
An Apple-Google AI agreement could bring Gemini to millions of iPhone users, but could also draw antitrust scrutiny. The U.S. Department of Justice wrapped up a case against Google in November on antitrust charges over its default search engine status on iPhones. Closing arguments for the case are set for early May.
Google paused access to its Gemini AI image generator last month after users complained it showed the wrong historical contexts. Google responded to the controversy by saying that it was “working to improve” the AI outputs immediately.
Related: Sergey Brin Says Google ‘Definitely Messed Up’ After Its Gemini Chatbot Caused a Firestorm. He Has a Lot Riding on Its Success — or Failure.
Apple has been moving to incorporate AI into its products, with a Thursday report from Bloomberg highlighting Apple’s recent acquisition of Canada-based AI startup DarwinAI. The startup focuses on making AI smaller and faster — which could help Apple’s efforts to incorporate AI into its devices.
At one point, Apple may have also talked to OpenAI and considered using its technology, per Bloomberg.
Apple is expected to add on-device generative AI features to its iOS 18 update and announce new AI features as early as its Worldwide Developers Conference in June.
Related: Google Paid Apple Billions for Access to iPhone Users. Now the Partnership’s Under Scrutiny in a U.S. Antitrust Lawsuit.
