NAIROBI, Kenya — Apple is preparing a major overhaul of its voice assistant Siri, with new disclosures indicating the upgrade will be powered in part by Gemini through a strategic partnership with Google.
The collaboration was revealed by Thomas Kurian during the Google Cloud Next 2026 in Las Vegas, where he described the alliance as a “monumental partnership” aimed at building the next generation of Apple’s artificial intelligence systems.
“We’re collaborating with Apple as their preferred cloud provider to develop the next generation of Apple Foundation Models based on Gemini technology,” Kurian said.
The move signals a notable departure from Apple’s long-standing approach of developing core technologies in-house. Instead, the company appears to be adopting a hybrid AI strategy—combining its proprietary on-device processing with cloud-based intelligence powered by Google.
The new “Apple Foundation Models,” expected to underpin future Apple Intelligence features, will play a central role in transforming Siri into a more advanced, context-aware assistant.
Industry analysts say the upgraded Siri is expected to go beyond basic voice commands and deliver a more personalised user experience. Anticipated improvements include stronger natural language understanding, the ability to handle follow-up queries, and deeper integration across apps and services.
The assistant is also expected to perform more complex, multi-step tasks, reflecting broader advances in generative AI that competitors have already begun to deploy.
Apple has maintained that the upgraded Siri will launch in 2026, although it has not confirmed a specific date. Earlier expectations of a spring rollout appear to have shifted, with reports pointing to internal challenges around accuracy and reliability—areas where Apple has traditionally taken a cautious approach.
Observers now expect the company to preview the new capabilities at its annual developer conference, Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC), scheduled to begin on June 8, 2026, likely alongside the unveiling of iOS 27.
A key question remains where the AI processing will occur. Apple has been developing its Private Cloud Compute system to handle advanced workloads while preserving user privacy.
However, Kurian’s remarks suggest that Google Cloud infrastructure will play a significant role, particularly as demand for computing power grows with more sophisticated AI features.
The partnership comes amid intensifying competition in the AI assistant space, where tools like Google Assistant and ChatGPT have rapidly improved in conversational intelligence and task execution.
Analysts say Apple’s decision to leverage Gemini reflects a broader industry trend, where even major technology firms are increasingly forming strategic alliances to accelerate AI development.
While Apple is expected to maintain tight control over user experience and data privacy, the collaboration underscores the scale of investment and infrastructure now required to remain competitive in the evolving AI landscape.
