Apple has chosen Google’s advanced Gemini AI for its new Siri and upcoming Apple Intelligence features, prioritizing superior technology over OpenAI. CEO Tim Cook emphasized this collaboration, assuring users of continued privacy standards. While OpenAI’s ChatGPT integration remains, it’s now seen as secondary. Apple views this AI integration as a significant value creator and potential revenue stream.

Apple went with Google over Sam Altman’s OpenAI for one straightforward reason: better technology. CEO Tim Cook laid it out plainly during the company’s latest earnings call when asked about the new Siri partnership.“We basically determined that Google’s AI technology would provide the most capable foundation for Apple Foundation Models,” Cook told analysts. The multi-year deal will see Google’s Gemini models power a revamped Siri and future Apple Intelligence features arriving later this year.

Cook frames the Google deal as collaboration, not dependence

The CEO was deliberate in how he characterised the arrangement. “You should think of it as a collaboration,” Cook said. “And we’ll obviously independently continue to do some of our own stuff. But you should think of what is going to power the personalised version of Siri is the collaboration with Google.”Cook also addressed privacy concerns head-on, noting that Apple’s standards remain unchanged despite bringing in an outside partner. “We’ll continue to run on the device and run in Private Cloud Compute and maintain our industry-leading privacy standards in doing so.”

OpenAI was never really in the running

The decision is a blow to OpenAI, which already has a ChatGPT integration with Apple announced at WWDC 2024. But that partnership now looks like a sideshow. According to Bloomberg, OpenAI hadn’t been in serious contention for a while. Apple tested Gemini, ChatGPT, and Anthropic’s Claude before zeroing in on Google earlier this year.Anthropic was initially the frontrunner until its steep financial demands pushed Apple to widen its search. Google’s Gemini 3 model topping AI leaderboards in November sealed the deal.

Apple sees AI as a revenue opportunity

When pressed on monetisation, Cook hinted at broader ambitions. “We’re bringing intelligence to more of what people love, and we’re integrating it across the operating system in a personal and private way,” he said. “And I think that by doing so, it creates great value, and that opens up a range of opportunities across our products and services.”Neither company disclosed financial terms, though reports have pegged the arrangement at around $1 billion annually. The revamped Siri is expected to debut with iOS 26.4 around March or April.