According to media reports, Apple’s latest efforts in furthering its AI ambitions seems to be the inclusion of Google’s Gemini AI chatbot into its ecosystem. The iPhone-maker is reportedly pursuing a deal with Google in this regard, which is anticipated to be formalized by this fall.
According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, Apple is in discussions with Google to integrate the Gemini AI chatbot into its devices, providing users with an alternative to ChatGPT. And while the initial spotlight fell on ChatGPT, Apple has consistently hinted at a more inclusive approach. Craig Federighi, Apple’s software engineering chief, previously acknowledged plans to include additional chatbots, empowering users with the flexibility to choose the one that best caters to their specific needs, and will be able to choose the tool best suited for the task at hand.
Speaking more about Google’s Gemini AI, it is the company’s answer to OpenAI’s ChatGPT and developed by Google’s AI research labs DeepMind and Google Research. Much like other generative AI-powered chatbots, it can generate text, images, audio, videos, and code based on text and/or image or voice-based prompts. As of May 2024, over 2 billion users used Gemini, and more than 1.5 million developers use Gemini APIs. With access to both ChatGPT and Gemini, Apple users will have a wider range of AI functionalities at their fingertips. With a wider range of AI capabilities at their disposal, users could potentially streamline their workflows and boost productivity. Gemini’s creative writing assistance could accelerate content creation, while ChatGPT might help with research and data analysis.
“As for an Apple deal with Google or Anthropic, I expect at least the former to be announced around the time Apple Intelligence launches this fall,” Gurman said.
This development comes at a time when Apple Intelligence – the company’s newest AI offering, which was unveiled at Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) this year – is set to be integrated into the forthcoming iOS 18, iPadOS 18, and macOS Sequoia updates. It leverages Apple’s proprietary on-device and online language models to perform a variety of tasks, including answering questions, summarizing texts, and generating images. Apple Intelligence is designed to integrate into the Apple ecosystem, enhancing the functionality of devices and applications. Initially, the features will be available in US English and will be compatible with iPhone 15 Pro, iPad, and Mac models equipped with the M1 chip or later. Apple plans to expand language support over time, ensuring that a wider audience can benefit from these advanced capabilities.
