A Siri-ous update

TL;DR: Siri’s going to get better this year—Apple really means it this time. In a move that feels like a subtle snub to its former partner OpenAI, Apple is handing Siri’s brain to Google’s Gemini, reshaping its AI strategy and signaling where it believes the future of large language models really lies.

What happened: Right now, Apple can send you to ChatGPT when Siri gets stumped. This new multiyear Google partnership goes further—promising a deeper revamp of Apple Intelligence with a “more personalized Siri,” representing a fundamental upgrade rather than an optional add-on. Apple will reportedly pay Google $1 billion a year—a sign of how badly Siri needs a smarter core. The iOS assistant still struggles with multistep instructions, like: “Start a 25-minute timer and add milk to my Reminders list.” It also doesn't have a great memory, likely because Apple avoids storing much personal data.

What this deal means for the industry: OpenAI had a first-mover advantage when it burst onto the scene with ChatGPT in late 2022. That appears to be fading, with Gemini 3 wowing people with its speed and long-context reasoning. The race to be the “best” AI model is still neck and neck, but if you had to bet on one horse, it might be the one Apple just chose to build its flagship assistant around.

What this could mean for users: This setup raises new questions about how Siri requests will flow between Apple and Google’s servers. With the current ChatGPT integration, Apple says it shields identifying info from OpenAI by stripping requests of your Apple ID and IP address. Its deal with OpenAI also bars the AI company from storing user requests or using that data for training. In a joint statement, Apple and Google said this integration would maintain “Apple's industry-leading privacy standards,” but it’s unclear if that means the same privacy protections in the OpenAI deal will apply.

Who’s a hater: On X, Elon Musk called the team-up “an unreasonable concentration of power for Google.” It’s true Google isn’t a stranger to antitrust heat: The Department of Justice recently scored a legal victory arguing that Google illegally maintains a search monopoly. While Apple reportedly evaluated models including those of OpenAI and Anthropic, it’s not clear Musk’s xAI was ever in the running. We can’t imagine why any firm would be wary of being associated with the company behind Grok right now…

What we’re watching: Apple’s choice of dance partner suggests it isn’t trying to win the race to build the world’s most powerful AI model itself, at least not anytime soon. —WK