Apple may pay over $1 billion (approx. ₹8,869 crore) annually to Google to license its 1.2 trillion-parameter Gemini AI model, which will underpin major upgrades to Siri. According to Bloomberg, the deal is nearing completion and marks a significant shift for Apple, which has historically avoided relying on external AI systems.

The partnership is part of Apple’s broader Apple Intelligence strategy and comes as the company works to rebuild Siri from the ground up. Gemini will be integrated into Siri’s backend to enhance contextual understanding, summarisation, task planning, and multi-step command execution. The revamped Siri, code-named Linwood internally, is expected with iOS 26.4 next spring.

Gemini will run on Apple’s private cloud servers, ensuring user data remains secure. The AI model will focus on specific tasks, while other features will rely on Apple’s own AI. Unlike Apple’s public Google search partnership in Safari, this AI integration will remain behind the scenes with no co-branding.

Apple considered multiple AI models, including ChatGPT and Anthropic Claude, before selecting Gemini. The arrangement is temporary, as Apple is developing its own 1 trillion-parameter AI model, expected by late 2026.

This initiative reflects Apple’s commitment to transforming Siri into a more conversational and intelligent assistant, addressing the assistant’s long-standing lag behind competitors like Google Assistant and ChatGPT. The coming months will reveal whether this billion-dollar investment can restore Siri’s reputation and enhance its AI capabilities.