CEO Tim Cook may have confirmed Apple’s second partnership with Google

Apple CEO Tim Cook’s comments about expanding AI partnerships during Thursday’s earnings call have fueled speculation that the company is moving closer to a second major deal with Google, this time involving company’s Gemini AI model for Siri integration.“Our intention is to integrate with more people over time,” Cook told CNBC following Apple’s fourth-quarter earnings report, which posted record revenue of $102.5 billion. While Cook didn’t name specific partners, his remarks align with earlier reports about advanced discussions with Google.Bloomberg reported in August that Apple had approached Google to explore building a custom AI model using Gemini that would power a revamped version of Siri. According to the report, Google had already begun training a model that could run on Apple’s servers as part of the exploratory talks.

Beyond the $20 billion search deal

If finalised, a Gemini integration would mark Apple’s second significant partnership with Google, which currently pays billions annually to remain the default search engine on Apple devices. That arrangement, worth an estimated $20 billion per year, faces antitrust scrutiny from the US Justice Department.Apple software chief Craig Federighi publicly signalled openness to a Google AI partnership last year, stating the company would consider “integrations with different models like Google Gemini in the future.” Google CEO Sundar Pichai confirmed his company was working on Gemini support for iPhone, CNBC reported.The potential partnership comes as Apple races to catch up in artificial intelligence after delayed launches and technical setbacks with its Apple Intelligence platform.

Multiple AI partners under consideration

Cook’s carefully worded statement suggests Apple isn’t limiting itself to Google alone. Bloomberg previously reported that Apple had also explored partnerships with Anthropic and OpenAI, evaluating whether Claude or ChatGPT could serve as Siri’s foundation.Apple currently offers ChatGPT integration through Siri, with rumors also pointing to potential deals with Anthropic’s Claude and Perplexity AI. The company has been developing support for Anthropic’s Model Context Protocol, an open standard enabling interoperability between different AI models.During Thursday’s earnings call, Cook said Apple is “making good progress” on an enhanced Siri scheduled for 2026 release. He added that acquisitions remain possible “if we think that it will advance our roadmap.”However, Apple continues facing challenges including a significant talent exodus to competitors like Meta, OpenAI, and Anthropic, according to Bloomberg.