Apple's digital assistant, Siri, had been known for years for simple commands like "set a timer" or "how's the weather?". It had fallen behind the revolution created by generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) models like ChatGPT and Google Gemini. At WWDC 2024, Apple announced "Apple Intelligence" to fundamentally change this situation. However, the most striking detail of the strategy was its agreement with its biggest rival, Google: Siri will use the power of Google Gemini to get smarter.
"Apple Intelligence" and the Strategic "Missing Piece"
Apple's own artificial intelligence system, "Apple Intelligence," was primarily designed to work "on-device" and be privacy-focused. However, this strategy created both a strength and a weakness when compared to the dynamics of the current AI market.
The Strength of Apple Intelligence: Privacy and Personal Context
The real strength of Apple's system is its ability to deeply understand the user's personal context. Your data (your emails, your calendar) is processed without leaving your device. This way, it can fulfill highly personalized commands like "Find the document my mom sent me last week" without compromising your privacy. This is a reflection of Apple's classic promise of privacy.
The Strategic "Missing Piece": Generative Intelligence and World Knowledge
However, this privacy-focused approach fell short in tasks requiring complex world knowledge or creativity. For requests like "Write me an essay on Italian art," Apple did not (yet) have a model at the level of Gemini. This very "missing piece" pushed Apple to build a strategic bridge, meaning to use Gemini.
The Strategic Partnership of Two Rivals: How Will the System Work?
Apple developed a "hybrid" model for this integration. The new generation Siri will first try to resolve a request with its own on-device model. If the task is more complex, it will send it to Apple's "Private Cloud Compute" servers.
The Most Critical Question: What About Privacy?
If the task requires Gemini, Siri will ask the user for permission. Thanks to "Private Cloud Compute," the request is transmitted to Google completely anonymously. Your IP address is masked, and Google cannot see or save your data. Apple is renting Google's brain but never sharing its data.
What Will the New Siri Be Able to Do?
This "brain transplant" will transform Siri from a command assistant into a true helper. It will now be able to understand context, maintain a conversation, and perform multi-step tasks. Users will be able to give natural and fluid commands such as, after saying "Find my beach photos from last week," following up with, "Now pick the best one and send it to my mom with the message 'The vacation was great!'". The Gemini integration will give Siri the power for complex planning and creative content generation.
