Back in March, Reuters reported that a deal between Google and Apple–one that would incorporate Google’s Gemini AI into future iPhones–was possibly in the works. This rumor was at least partially confirmed during Monday’s developer conference, where Apple both announced a partnership with OpenAI and elucidated Google’s influence on the hardware used to develop their own artificial intelligence.
Apple’s use of Google’s chips–tensor processing units (TPUs), which are cloud-based and usually used to train AI models–is a pivotal moment of cooperation between the two tech rivals, and could prove to be the key to unlocking the next great leap in AI technology.
Reuters’ Max Cherney observes that, while Apple “did not discuss the extent to which it relied on Google’s chips and software compared with hardware from Nvidia or other AI vendors”, Google’s contribution to the project was explained “in the fine print of a technical document Apple published after the event”, making it clear that the collaboration was substantial.
It is worth noting that this announcement comes at a time during which Google’s search engine-based AI has been subjected to intense scrutiny for delivering false–and sometimes outright dangerous–results.
Likewise, Apple’s partnership with OpenAI–something else that was discussed earlier this year–demonstrates what some would view to be a radical concession regarding Apple’s own AI, while others will undoubtedly find this deal reassuring.
All of these AI developments will, of course, be used in conjunction with Apple’s proprietary voice assistant, Siri.
While speculation during the initial talks of collaboration in March originally hinted at Apple’s wholesale integration of Google’s Gemini AI, it appears that the extent of Google’s contribution to the next generation of Apple’s AI is limited to their cloud processing–at least for now. This revelation proves to be less salacious than earlier rumors, which posited that Google’s AI model might ape Apple’s own model.
Nevertheless, the open collaboration between these three giants paints a rosy, albeit wary, picture of future AI endeavors, making it clear that no one corporation or artificial intelligence initiative can simultaneously stand on its own and represent the best of technology’s efforts to power accurate and relevant searches.
Jack Lloyd has a BA in Creative Writing from Forest Grove's Pacific University; he spends his writing days using his degree to pursue semicolons, freelance writing and editing, oxford commas, and enough coffee to kill a bear. His infatuation with rain is matched only by his dry sense of humor.
