Apple has chosen to partner with Google for its next-generation voice assistant, Siri, after exploring collaborations with Anthropic and OpenAI. Reports indicate that Apple declined Anthropic's proposal, which sought "several billion dollars annually over multiple years." Meanwhile, OpenAI opted out of a partnership due to growing competition between the two firms.
As part of the agreement with Google, Apple is expected to pay "billions of dollars over the life of the deal," aiming to utilize Google's Gemini and cloud technology to enhance Siri's capabilities. The collaboration, announced on January 12, will integrate Apple's AI system, Apple Intelligence, with Google's advanced AI offerings, promising innovative experiences for users.
In a related development, Apple plans to upgrade Siri into an AI chatbot later this year, with Google providing the underlying AI model while Apple focuses on the user interface design. This shift follows previous considerations by Apple to leverage AI models from Anthropic or OpenAI instead of its internal technology. Reports from September highlighted the competitive landscape, noting Apple's intention to develop an AI search tool in direct competition with OpenAI.