Google CEO Sundar Pichai has expressed optimism that the company’s primary AI platform, Gemini, may soon be available as an integrated feature on Apple’s iPhones. During his testimony in the US government’s antitrust case against Google on Wednesday, Pichai expressed optimism that a deal with Apple might be achieved by the middle of the year.
Allegations that Google’s business tactics, namely its multibillion-dollar agreement to be the default search engine on Apple’s Safari browser, have unfairly solidified its dominance in the search industry are at the heart of the US Department of Justice’s trial. During these hearings, Pichai acknowledged that discussions for integrating Gemini into Apple’s devices were still ongoing.
If the move is successful, Gemini will be put alongside Apple Intelligence, the company’s AI system that drives a number of functions on Macs, iPhones, and iPads. Apple has already teamed up with OpenAI to incorporate ChatGPT into Siri and its Writing Tools feature, which facilitates text creation and editing across its operating systems, even though the company still mostly utilizes its own proprietary AI models.
Over the course of the previous year, I spoke with Tim Cook on a number of occasions,” Pichai informed the court. “Hopefully, Gemini will be added as a choice this year.” His remarks demonstrate Google’s goal to introduce AI into Apple’s ecosystem in addition to Android.
Despite their competition, Apple and Google have worked together for many years. YouTube was first released as a pre-installed software on the original iPhone, marking the beginning of Google’s services being integrated into Apple products in 2007. The arrangement involving the Safari search engine, which is presently being investigated by the courts, is still the most important connection between the two and has brought Apple billions of dollars every year.
During its Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC), which is scheduled for the week of June 9th, Apple is anticipated to unveil its most recent software improvements. The announcement might coincide with the release of iOS 19, iPadOS 19, and the upcoming macOS version, if an agreement is finalized in the upcoming weeks.
