Apple to Turn Siri Into AI Chatbot Powered by Google’s Gemini

Apple reportedly plans to increase the capabilities of Siri, turning the digital assistant into an artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot later this year.

The chatbot will be added to the operating systems of the iPhone, iPad and Mac; will be integrated into core apps such as mail, music and photos; and will be activated by the user saying “Siri” or holding down the side button on the smartphone or tablet, Bloomberg reported Wednesday (Jan. 21), citing unnamed sources.

The new Siri will be able to search the web, create content, generate images and analyze files uploaded by the user, according to the report.

The custom AI model powering the AI chatbot will be provided by Google, while the user interface will be designed by Apple, the report said.

Before launching the new chatbot version of Siri, Apple will release an updated version of the current digital assistant, per the report.

Apple did not immediately reply to PYMNTS’ request for comment.

Apple and Google announced Jan. 12 that they had formed a partnership and that the next iteration of Apple’s Foundation Models will be based on Google’s Gemini and cloud tech.

Those models will help power new features for Apple Intelligence — the company’s AI system — including a more personalized version of its AI assistant, the companies said.

“After careful evaluation, Apple determined that Google’s AI technology provides the most capable foundation for Apple Foundation Models and is excited about the innovative new experiences it will unlock for Apple users,” their announcement said. “Apple Intelligence will continue to run on Apple devices and Private Cloud Compute, while maintaining Apple’s industry-leading privacy standards.”

It was reported in June that Apple was considering using AI models from another company, rather than its own in-house models, to power Siri.

That report said adopting third-party AI models could allow Apple to offer Siri features that would be competitive with the AI assistants available on Android smartphones.

Earlier in June, it was reported that Apple aimed to bring an AI-powered upgrade of Siri to market in spring 2026, after facing delays and failing to meet its original goal of fall 2024.