Apple Teams Up with Google to Upgrade Siri, Renewing AI Push to Catch Up
At WWDC 2025, Apple announced a major overhaul of Siri, leveraging Google's Gemini model to create a more conversational AI assistant. This marks a strategic shift for Apple, moving from internal development to external collaboration in a bid to catch up in the AI race.
📋 Article Processing Timeline
- 📰 Published: June 9, 2026 at 09:50
- 🔍 Collected: June 9, 2026 at 10:05 (15 min after Published)
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: June 9, 2026 at 10:07 (1 min after Collected)
(Central News Agency, San Francisco, 8th – Combined Foreign News) Apple Inc. today unveiled a comprehensive overhaul of its iPhone artificial intelligence (AI) plans, turning to Google for help two years after its initial foray into the field faltered.
According to AFP, the event marked the final appearance of Apple CEO Tim Cook at the company's annual Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC). Cook is set to hand over the reins to senior executive John Ternus in September.
Cook, who took over as CEO after the death of Steve Jobs in 2011, appeared to wipe away tears while addressing the assembled developers and Apple executives, calling his tenure "the honor of a lifetime."
Two years ago at the same conference, facing immense pressure to join the AI race that was sweeping through Apple's US tech rivals, Cook announced a major foray into AI with a significant plan called Apple Intelligence.
However, the promised rollout never fully materialized. The highly anticipated upgrade to the Siri voice assistant did not come to fruition, even leading to a lawsuit from some US consumers, which was settled earlier this year.
According to Reuters, the overhaul, unveiled at the annual Worldwide Developers Conference in Cupertino, California, introduces a new Siri AI. This more conversational assistant has its own dedicated app and the ability to analyze content on the user's screen and retrieve information from the web.
These changes mark Apple's most significant attempt to revitalize Siri to date. Siri has struggled to keep pace with OpenAI's ChatGPT, Anthropic's Claude, and Google's Gemini, competitors that have more quickly embedded "agentic AI"—software capable of performing complex tasks—into everyday computing.
Apple's more cautious entry into the AI frenzy has earned praise from some analysts, who commend the company for avoiding the hundreds of billions of dollars in infrastructure spending that its rivals have committed to building AI capacity.
Apple emphasized this narrative during the event, stating it is taking time to perfect the technology.
"AI is an extremely powerful technology with the potential to shape society in profound ways, and if handled properly, it can bring meaningful benefits to people around the world," said Craig Federighi, Apple's head of software.
"Nevertheless, some seem to be rushing headlong, pursuing AI for AI's sake, without clearly considering the people it is ultimately meant to serve."
Apple has again promised a strengthened Siri AI capable of natural communication, tracking information, and performing tasks within apps like Maps and Mail.
"Overall, this was an impressive event that did not disappoint, because Cook and Apple have finally unveiled an AI strategy that will unlock a true monetization opportunity," said Dan Ives of Wedbush Securities.
Many of the advancements Apple announced today have already been rolled out by Google for individual users, who have added AI-powered Gemini features to Gmail, Maps, and the Android operating system for smartphones and tablets.
"Apple is placing a huge bet on AI, but their bet is that they don't need to spend hundreds of billions of dollars annually on AI infrastructure to see a return," said prominent blogger John Gruber.
Instead of building models in-house, Apple has enlisted Google to provide the AI capabilities for its new features, using a version of the search engine giant's Gemini model rather than any internally developed technology.
Google and Apple are already closely linked, with Google paying billions of dollars annually to be the default search engine on the iPhone's Safari web browser. (Editor: Li Peishan) 1150609
According to AFP, the event marked the final appearance of Apple CEO Tim Cook at the company's annual Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC). Cook is set to hand over the reins to senior executive John Ternus in September.
Cook, who took over as CEO after the death of Steve Jobs in 2011, appeared to wipe away tears while addressing the assembled developers and Apple executives, calling his tenure "the honor of a lifetime."
Two years ago at the same conference, facing immense pressure to join the AI race that was sweeping through Apple's US tech rivals, Cook announced a major foray into AI with a significant plan called Apple Intelligence.
However, the promised rollout never fully materialized. The highly anticipated upgrade to the Siri voice assistant did not come to fruition, even leading to a lawsuit from some US consumers, which was settled earlier this year.
According to Reuters, the overhaul, unveiled at the annual Worldwide Developers Conference in Cupertino, California, introduces a new Siri AI. This more conversational assistant has its own dedicated app and the ability to analyze content on the user's screen and retrieve information from the web.
These changes mark Apple's most significant attempt to revitalize Siri to date. Siri has struggled to keep pace with OpenAI's ChatGPT, Anthropic's Claude, and Google's Gemini, competitors that have more quickly embedded "agentic AI"—software capable of performing complex tasks—into everyday computing.
Apple's more cautious entry into the AI frenzy has earned praise from some analysts, who commend the company for avoiding the hundreds of billions of dollars in infrastructure spending that its rivals have committed to building AI capacity.
Apple emphasized this narrative during the event, stating it is taking time to perfect the technology.
"AI is an extremely powerful technology with the potential to shape society in profound ways, and if handled properly, it can bring meaningful benefits to people around the world," said Craig Federighi, Apple's head of software.
"Nevertheless, some seem to be rushing headlong, pursuing AI for AI's sake, without clearly considering the people it is ultimately meant to serve."
Apple has again promised a strengthened Siri AI capable of natural communication, tracking information, and performing tasks within apps like Maps and Mail.
"Overall, this was an impressive event that did not disappoint, because Cook and Apple have finally unveiled an AI strategy that will unlock a true monetization opportunity," said Dan Ives of Wedbush Securities.
Many of the advancements Apple announced today have already been rolled out by Google for individual users, who have added AI-powered Gemini features to Gmail, Maps, and the Android operating system for smartphones and tablets.
"Apple is placing a huge bet on AI, but their bet is that they don't need to spend hundreds of billions of dollars annually on AI infrastructure to see a return," said prominent blogger John Gruber.
Instead of building models in-house, Apple has enlisted Google to provide the AI capabilities for its new features, using a version of the search engine giant's Gemini model rather than any internally developed technology.
Google and Apple are already closely linked, with Google paying billions of dollars annually to be the default search engine on the iPhone's Safari web browser. (Editor: Li Peishan) 1150609
FAQ
Why did Apple partner with Google on AI?
To quickly enhance Siri by leveraging external AI technology, avoiding massive investments, instead of insisting on in-house development.
When will the new Siri be available?
The article does not specify a release date, but it is expected to roll out following the WWDC 2025 announcement.
What does Google gain from this partnership?
Google can promote the adoption and monetization of its AI technology by providing Gemini to Apple's massive platform.