Apple calls on Google to help smarten up Siri and bring other AI features to the iPhone

Apple will rely on Google to help finish its efforts to smarten up its virtual assistant Siri and bring other artificial intelligence features to the iPhone as the trendsetting company plays catch-up in technology's latest craze. The deal allowing Apple to tap into Google's AI technology was disclosed in a joint statement from the Silicon Valley powerhouses. The partnership will draw upon Google's Gemini technology to customize a suite of AI features dubbed "Apple Intelligence" on the iPhone and other products. After Google and others took the early lead in the AI race, Apple promised to plant its first big stake in the field with an array of new features that were supposed to be coming to the iPhone in 2024 as part of a ballyhooed software upgrade. But many of Apple's AI features remain in the development phase, while Google and Samsung have been rolling out more of the technology on their own devices. One of the most glaring AI omissions on the iPhone has been a promised overhaul of Siri that was supposed to transform the often-confused assistant into a more conversational and versatile multitasker. Google even subtly mocked the iPhone's AI shortcomings in ads promoting the release of its latest Pixel phone last summer. Apple's AI missteps prompted the Cupertino, California, company to acknowledge last year that its Siri upgrade wouldn't happen until some point during 2026. Getting Apple to endorse its AI implicitly represents a coup for Google, which has been steadily releasing more features built on its Gemini technology in its search engine and Gmail. The progress has intensified Google's competition with OpenAI and its ChatGPT chatbot, which already has a deal with Apple that makes it an option on the iPhone. This article was provided by The Associated Press.