Apple and Google have been vying for dominance of the mobile market for more than a decade. That’s why reports from Bloomberg, The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal indicating that the two longtime rivals may collaborate came as quite a surprise this week.
Google and Apple are reportedly in talks to bring the search giant’s Gemini AI model to the iPhone. It looks like a huge win for Google on the surface, as it would mean its AI would be built into the two of the most widely used computing platforms in the world: iOS and Android.
But a partnership like this could have huge implications about the role of generative AI in smartphones, suggesting it’s becoming a must-have for new phones rather than just a niche feature found on select models. Such a deal, which is still a rumor at this point, would imply that Apple can’t wait any longer to bring generative AI to the iPhone.Â
“It reinforces how dramatically [generative] AI features have influenced everybody, including Apple,” said Bob O’Donnell, president and chief analyst for Technalysis Research.
Apple and Google representatives didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment for this story.Â
Read more: Your Future Phone Will Likely Be Smarter, Faster and More Flexible
Reports of Google Gemini coming to the iPhone
If the reports turn out to be true, Apple is considering using Google’s model to power a handful of upcoming features while it continues to develop its own AI-based iPhone tools. Google’s AI models would likely be used to power cloud-based iPhone functions, according to Bloomberg, which could potentially include generating content based on prompts and photo editing tools. But the reports also indicate Apple is talking to other companies like OpenAI about a possible partnership as well.
Although Apple and Google are competitors, it wouldn’t be the first time they’ve collaborated in such a way. Google already pays Apple billions of dollars to be the default search engine on the iPhone, so partnering…
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