Apple Inc. and Alphabet Inc.’s Google are presently in talks about integrating Google’s Gemini artificial intelligence engine inside the iPhone.
According to a report obtained by News.ng on Monday, Google will gain significant market share from this partnership because it already has an agreement with Apple to be the search engine of choice for the Safari browser on iPhones.
In the negotiations between the two tech giants, Apple is seeking a licence to use Google’s Gemini suite of generative AI models to power future features in the 2024 version of the iPhone OS. Additionally, Apple has looked into the prospect of working with OpenAI on a project of a similar nature.
According to those with knowledge of the situation, who were named in the publication, Apple is trying to license Google’s AI technology to roll out AI-powered features with iOS upgrades later this year. According to the report, the business also talked about using GPT models with OpenAI.
Apple is under increasing pressure to keep up with rivals in the AI space, including OpenAI, Microsoft, Anthropic, and even Google. Tim Cook, the CEO of Apple, stated in February that GenAI features will be released “later this year.”
Over the past year, Apple’s job postings have indicated that the business is developing several generative AI-powered internal and external technologies.
Talks about using third-party AI technology, however, indicate that Apple’s own AI efforts haven’t advanced as planned.
Some of the on-device capabilities of the future iOS 18 software update—which is anticipated to be unveiled at the Worldwide Developer Conference (WWDC), often held in June—may be powered by Apple’s models.
Alphabet’s shares rose 4.5% in premarket trade although the talks are still ongoing, indicating investor optimism about the possible partnership.
Even still, a completed agreement might come under regulatory scrutiny, particularly in light of the ongoing antitrust probes into the Apple-Google search partnership.