At WWDC 2024, Apple confirmed that its upcoming Apple Intelligence toolset will feature integration with ChatGPT to help answer user queries that Siri can't handle on its own, and now we're hearing that a second third-party chatbot could be added to the mix.
According to Bloomberg Apple expert Mark Gurman, Google Gemini could join ChatGPT as one of two Siri-compatible chatbot options in Apple Intelligence. This integration could allow iPhone, iPad, and MacBook users to use ChatGPT or Google Gemini’s cloud-based features when Siri is unable to answer a query on the device.
Apple will reportedly announce its collaboration with Google “this fall” (i.e. September), which coincides with the rumored launch of Apple Intelligence, iOS 18, and the iPhone 16 lineup.
Rumours surrounding an Apple-Google partnership have been circulating for some time, but many tech commentators, including TechRadar's own Lance Ulanoff, have doubted their authenticity due to Apple's historical reluctance to achieve parity between the best iPhones and the best Android phones.
Ulanoff wrote in March: “Apple’s goal with iPhone 16, iOS 18, and future iPhones is to differentiate its products from Android phones. It wants people to switch, and will only do so if it sees a tangible benefit. If the generative tools on the iPhone are the same as those you can get on the Google Pixel 8 Pro (and 9) or the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra (and S25 Ultra), then why switch?”
It's a valid question, but perhaps Apple sees its additional (and so far only) partnership with ChatGPT as the unique selling proposition of its new and upcoming devices.
There's also the question of revenue. Gurman recently reported that Apple's “long-term plan is to make money from Apple Intelligence,” and that the company is interested in “getting a share of subscription revenue from every AI partner it brings on board.”
It seems likely, then, that Apple will release a paid version of Apple Intelligence that incorporates the paid premium features of ChatGPT and Google Gemini, respectively.
Incidentally, Gurman also reports that Apple had brief discussions with Meta about incorporating its Llama chatbot into Apple Intelligence, but the iPhone maker reportedly decided not to partner due to privacy concerns and a preference for Google's superior AI technology.
