Siri’s delayed AI upgrades are still expected to ship next spring in iOS 26.4, and a new report this week about Google’s tech powering the features might be exactly what Apple and its users need.
Siri’s AI upgrades are coming with the help of Google
Apple’s inability to ship the Siri upgrades it promised in iOS 18 has been embarrassing for the company. But all signs point to those enhancements coming soon, supplemented by even better improvements than what was promised.
And this week, Bloomberg reported that Apple is finalizing a deal with Google that will enable a custom Google LLM to power the new Siri features.
Mark Gurman writes:
Apple Inc. is planning to use a 1.2 trillion parameter artificial intelligence model developed by Alphabet Inc.’s Google to help power its long-promised overhaul of the Siri voice assistant, according to people with knowledge of the matter. The iPhone maker is banking on Google’s help to rebuild Siri’s underlying technology, setting the stage for a new slate of features next year. The Google model’s 1.2 trillion parameters — a measure of the AI software’s complexity — would dwarf the level of Apple’s current models.
Reactions to this news have been all over the place. Some are celebrating, others are concerned about privacy implications, and still others see this deal as yet another sign of Apple’s AI weakness.
Personally, I lean toward optimism.
While it would be great if Apple was able to deliver the best possible AI-infused Siri without outside help, that’s clearly not the case right now.
But by striking this deal, Apple could give itself and its users exactly what’s needed.
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