Apple and Google have agreed to a potential deal to bring artificial intelligence-powered search engine Gemini AI to iPhone iPhone.
The talks, first reported by Bloomberg on Monday, aim to allow Apple to allow Gemini artificial intelligence models to use new iPhone features later this year.
While the deal will give Gemini a significant advantage over billions of users, Bloomberg notes, it could also be a sign that Apple is not keeping up with its artificial intelligence efforts as some might hope.
“Apple appears to be lagging behind its competitors in AI innovation, partly because the pace of innovation has been so fast that the timing of its annual development conference in the summer and product launches in the fall has created a discrepancy.
The current pace of competition in AI,” said Paul Schell, industry analyst at global technology analyst firm ABI Research.
That’s not to say Apple hasn’t been busy developing its AI capabilities. “Behind the scenes, Apple is busy developing its artificial intelligence manufacturing capabilities and acquiring companies that will help develop the technology—ultimately acquiring DarwinAI,” Schell told TechNewsWorld.
“Apple also has a machine learning research division dedicated to developing its capabilities. Tim Cook talked about creating artificial intelligence ahead of iOS 18,” he added.
Part of Overall AI Strategy
“Apple is behind artificial intelligence,” said Rob Enderle, president and chief analytics officer of the Enderle Group, a consulting firm in Bend, Oregon.
“It’s surprising,” he told TechNewsWorld, “because Siri was one of the first digital assistants on the market, but when they started, they seemed to lose interest, which is why they fell so far behind.”
A deal with Google could fit into Apple’s overall artificial intelligence strategy, said William Kerwin, an equity analyst at Morningstar Research Services in Chicago.
“Apple has been slow to make any announcements about artificial intelligence, which we view as its standard strategy,” he told TechNewsWorld. ”
Apple has always been a market-driven company; it has never sought to be first but focused on making superior products.”
“We did not expect Apple to produce its artificial intelligence product for licensing, but rather focus on integrating artificial intelligence into its products,” he said. “These could be small Apple models running at the edge or large cloud models.”
“A potential licensing agreement with Google Gemini could follow this—offer the model itself, but focus on adding products like Siri.”
Beneficial to Apple and Google
Tim Bajarin, president of Innovation Strategy, a technology consulting firm based in San Jose, California, notes that Apple has been using AI in its products since it introduced Knowledge Navigator in 1987. AI is the key to both Siri and Maps, he added. , and Apple has the technology to provide AI-powered apps and solutions.
“However, providing AI depth to the AI infrastructure itself is expensive, and the core of the AI framework is already built and can be licensed,” he told TechNewsWorld.
“Even if Apple had its version of Gemini, it probably wouldn’t have the infrastructure to serve a large customer base,” he said. “It’s entirely possible that Apple could license the core AI building blocks from another company and create an even deeper AI engine specific to Apple.”
The Gemini licensing agreement could benefit both Apple and Google.
“Licensing Gemini will allow AI to iPhone to catch up on its artificial intelligence efforts,” said Charles King, principal analyst at Pund-IT, a Hayward, California-based technology consulting firm.
He also told TechNewsWorld, “By using select third-party technologies to train its artificial intelligence system, Apple can maintain its well-earned reputation for respecting customer privacy.”
Rise of On-Device AI to iPhone
“Many AI models now require access to the cloud, so there is a lot of privacy concern,” added Ross Rubin, principal analyst at Reticle Research, a consumer technology consultancy based in New York.
“Google has a variant of Gemini—Gemini Nano—that Apple might like because it can run internally,” he told TechNewsWorld. “This is one way to protect privacy and reap the benefits of creating AI.”
ABI’s Schell noted that Google is ahead of the competition with its Gemini family of models, which already power some Pixel phones and some Samsung Galaxy devices.
“By partnering with Google, Apple will be able to offer its customers a mature product model for some or all of its devices,” he said.
“All major chipset makers and OEMs are targeting AI-powered devices because performance-enhancing intelligence is compelling, and this is especially true of Apple’s legacy of leadership in data privacy,” he added.
“So,” he continued, “I expect many important announcements about AI productivity tools at WWDC this year across Apple’s PC, tablet, and smartphone offerings.” WWDC – Worldwide Developers Conference – usually takes place in June.
A boon to Apple Users AI to iPhone
According to Mark N. Wen, president and principal analyst at SmartTech Research in San Francisco, California, Apple users can benefit from the Gemini licensing agreement because it integrates Google’s advanced search algorithms into the ecosystem, which enhances search functionality.
“This enhances interoperability, providing seamless integration between the Apple ecosystem and Google services and improving the user experience,” he told TechNewsWorld, “and can reduce Apple’s development costs and time to market because a proven product can be used to create a similar product.” Google technology.” opportunities from scratch.”
“This will give Apple a lot of power that it doesn’t currently have, and Google will get revenue and a licensing partner,” Greg Sterling, founder of Media Near, a news, commentary, and analysis site. TechNewsWorld reported this.
An interesting question is how much Google, which pays Apple billions a year to make the Safari browser its default search engine, will get from the licensing deal.
“Maybe there’s no licensing fee,” Rubin suggested. “Google grants Apple search rights on Apple devices.
The payment Google receives is access to undisclosed data about iPhone users, giving them an overall view of what people do on their mobile devices.
Google may be willing to offer its technology for free. With the benefit of continuing to modernize its artificial intelligence engine.”
