Katarzyna Petru
Apple's collaboration with Google in the area of artificial intelligence has raised more questions than answers from the beginning. Now, new information revealed by The Information sheds a lot of light on the background of this partnership. One thing is certain – Apple is using Gemini, but on its own terms. And it does not intend to share the stage with Google.
Apple Will Fine-Tune Gemini on Its Own
During the official announcement of the partnership between Apple and Google, there were no specific technical details provided. The companies only confirmed that Gemini-based features will operate locally on Apple devices and within the Private Cloud Compute framework, which is supposed to guarantee user privacy.
The Information reveals, however, much more. Apple is not only using the Gemini model as a foundation, but it can also fine-tune it on its own, without constant interference from Google.
Indeed, Apple can ask Google to modify selected aspects of how the model operates, but in practice, Cupertino has full control over how Gemini responds to questions and in what style it conducts conversations. In other words – it is not Google that dictates the terms, but Apple shapes the AI according to its own product philosophy.
Siri without the Google logo and without "Gemini" in the name
One of the biggest uncertainties was related to branding. Will Siri effectively become a Google advertisement? Will users see the Gemini logo with every response? According to The Information – absolutely not.
In the current prototype system, Siri's responses do not contain any references to Google or Gemini. No logo, no names, no suggestions that a competing company's model is operating behind the scenes.
This perfectly aligns with earlier reports from Mark Gurman at Bloomberg, who predicted as far back as last year that Apple would never publicly showcase this collaboration. Siri is simply supposed to be… better. Without foreign influences, without borrowing from Android, and without a "googly" character.
End of links instead of answers
One of Siri's biggest problems for years has been the lack of real general knowledge. Instead of answers – a list of links. Instead of information – a suggestion to "check in Safari." Apple hopes that Gemini will change this. The new Siri is supposed to truly answer factual questions, such as:
population of countries,
scientific information,
basic encyclopedic data.
This is an area where Siri has long lagged not only behind ChatGPT but even behind the Google Assistant from a few years ago.
Siri is supposed to "better understand emotions". It's a risky direction
The most controversial part of the report concerns emotional support. Apple assumes that Gemini-powered Siri will better handle conversations in which the user signals loneliness, sadness, or discouragement. The new Siri is intended to respond in a more conversational and empathetic manner – similar to ChatGPT or Gemini in conversational mode. However, this is a minefield. The history of chatbots includes many cases where AI systems:
misinterpreted the user's emotional state,
downplayed the seriousness of the situation,
or even provided dangerous suggestions.
How Apple plans to reconcile empathy with safety – this is not explained in the report. And this could be one of the most difficult elements of the entire puzzle.
Two brains of Siri – still one problem
Craig Federighi has previously admitted that Siri's biggest failure was the attempt to combine two systems:
the classic, deterministic one (timers, alarms, messages),
and an AI-based language model.
Apple ultimately concluded that the hybrid architecture did not meet the company’s quality standards. Nevertheless, the new Siri is once again trying to merge both worlds – this time in a more thoughtful way. Simple tasks will still be handled locally on the device, but when a request is ambiguous, Gemini will come into play. Example? If you ask Siri to send a message to "mom," and you don't have such an entry in your contacts, the new Siri is supposed to analyze the message history and context to determine who you mean.
Sounds great. In practice – it’s exactly the problem that Google and Amazon have been struggling with for years.
Implementation in stages. Full Siri only in 2026?
Finally, the timeline. Apple does not intend to throw everything in at once. Some features will debut in the spring. More advanced capabilities – such as:
remembering previous conversations,
proactive suggestions (e.g., leaving for the airport earlier due to traffic),
are expected to be announced only at WWDC in June. This means one thing – the Siri revolution will be slow but methodical. Apple does not want a repeat of a false start and evidently prefers to deliver features in stages, rather than promising miracles and providing half-measures.
