Thomas Kurian says Apple will use Gemini to power Siri

Google Cloud chief Thomas Kurian said Apple’s next Siri will use Gemini, turning months of speculation into a public confirmation from one of the two companies involved. (google.com) (9to5mac.com) Kurian said at Google Cloud Next in Las Vegas that Google is Apple’s “preferred cloud provider” for the next generation of Apple Foundation Models based on Gemini technology. He said those models will power future Apple Intelligence features, including a more personalized Siri coming in 2026. (google.com) (macrumors.com) That matters because Apple first pitched the rebuilt Siri at Worldwide Developers Conference in June 2024 as an assistant that could understand personal context, see what is on your screen, and take actions across apps. Apple said those features were still “in development” and would arrive in a future software update. (apple.com 1) (apple.com 2) By March 31, 2025, Apple shipped iOS 18.4 with broader Apple Intelligence language support, but not the delayed Siri overhaul. Apple’s public product pages still described onscreen awareness and related Siri features as forthcoming. (apple.com 1) (apple.com 2) The January 12, 2026 joint statement from Apple and Google had already said the companies entered a multi-year collaboration. It said the next generation of Apple Foundation Models would be based on Google’s Gemini models and cloud technology. (google.com) What Kurian added last week was the plainest public link yet between that deal and Siri itself. His remarks tied Gemini not just to back-end model work, but to the assistant Apple has been trying to rebuild as the centerpiece of Apple Intelligence. (google.com) (macrumors.com) Apple has not yet given a launch date beyond 2026. Its next Worldwide Developers Conference runs June 8 through June 12, 2026, giving Apple its next big stage to explain what ships this year and what remains unfinished. (apple.com) The unusual part is not that Apple uses outside partners; Apple already added ChatGPT as an optional handoff for some requests. The unusual part is Google saying Gemini will sit underneath Apple’s own foundation models and a flagship Apple feature. (apple.com) (google.com) For Apple, the next test is no longer whether a smarter Siri exists on a slide. It is whether the company can show, with dates and shipping software, how Gemini-backed Siri finally reaches iPhones, iPads, and Macs in 2026. (apple.com) (google.com)