When the talks about Apple Intelligence first began, there were speculations about the integration of ChatGPT or Gemini AI with Siri to make it more advanced. Fast forward to when Apple rolled out Apple Intelligence with ChatGPT integration, but people were still curious about how Gemini AI would be integrated. And now, Apple appears to be expanding its AI integration by potentially adding Google’s Gemini AI models to Apple Intelligence.
A recent leak revolving around the iOS 18.4 beta reveals that Apple is currently working to incorporate another third-party AI service, in addition to OpenAI’s ChatGPT, which was introduced in iOS 18.2. Aaron Perris, who is an analyst with MacRumours, found new code strings in the latest iOS 18.4 beta. This revealed a “Third-party model” section that now lists Google alongside OpenAI.
Apple had previously shared that it will offer multiple AI models to its users and this leak aligns with it. Apple’s Senior Vice President of Software Engineering, Craig Federighi, hinted at this possibility during WWDC 2024, stating that while OpenAI was the first AI provider, Apple aimed to collaborate with other companies, including Google. However, he emphasized that there were no immediate announcements at the time.
Currently, Apple Intelligence provides ChatGPT-powered assistance via Siri and Writing Tools. If Google’s AI models join the ecosystem, Apple users may gain access to a broader range of AI capabilities, further enhancing the intelligence of Apple’s devices.
One thing that we have taken away from the entire Apple Intelligence rollout timeline is that we should not expect that Gemini AI will be integrated immediately. Mark Gurman had previously reported that Apple could maintain an exclusivity period for OpenAI before expanding its AI partnerships. If Apple proceeds with Gemini’s integration, it could align with the launch of the iPhone 17 series later this year.
For now, let’s take this piece of news with a pinch of salt as Apple has some time at hand before the iPhone 17 series is dropped and there can be some changes to it.
