Apple's new Gemini-powered Siri is coming next month
What's the story
Apple is gearing up to unveil an upgraded version of its virtual assistant, Siri, in the second half of February. The update will leverage Google's Gemini artificial intelligence (AI) tool, and is said to be the first one that can actually perform tasks by accessing a user's personal data and on-screen content. The announcement was made by Bloomberg's Mark Gurman.
Strategic alliance
Apple's AI partnership with Google
The upcoming Siri update will be the first result of Apple's recently announced AI partnership with Google. The tech giant had promised a more capable version of Siri back in June 2024, and this update is expected to deliver on those promises. The new version will also be more conversational, similar to other chatbots such as ChatGPT. A future version of Siri could even run directly on Google's cloud infrastructure.
Internal struggles
AI strategy faces challenges
Apple has been struggling to get its AI strategy back on track. Earlier reports had indicated these difficulties, but Mike Rockwell from Apple's foundation team had dismissed one of Gurman's earlier reports as "bulls-t." Now, the company's partnership with Google and the recent departure of its AI chief, John Giannandrea, suggest that it is finding a new direction.