The handshake between Apple and Google could shake up the tech world

Tech enthusiasts were abuzz when in mid-March 2024, information emerged that Apple might partner with Google to develop integrated Artificial Intelligence (AI) features for the iPhone. After all, Google and Apple are rivals.

So when it was revealed that the two companies were in talks to bring Google's AI model, called Gemini, to the iPhone, it could signal a very close partnership between the two giants.

Apple has long had a policy of “don’t do it first, do it right,” so it’s no surprise that they’re behind Google, Samsung, and even Qualcomm in the AI ​​game on phones.

Sources familiar with the matter suggest that at this year's Worldwide Developers Conference, Apple will showcase its own AI-related developments.

These are expected to be primarily on-device enhancements—meaning users won't need internet access to activate them. But Google's involvement could expand the reach of those AI features.

More notably, these features will be more powerful thanks to the use of information from Google's servers, in addition to Apple's iPhone-specific processing chip.

However, everything is still open as there is also information that Apple is negotiating with OpenAI, the developer of the famous ChatGPT application.

Tech observers point out that current AI models—including ChatGPT and Gemini—are not perfect. At this point in the AI ​​technology development cycle, mistakes are still common.

Even though ChatGPT and Gemini both have impressive capabilities, even their latest versions are still a work in progress.

It may take some time (from several quarters to several years) before this technology is perfected enough that failures become extremely rare, if not virtually impossible.

Observers are leaning towards the possibility of Apple choosing Google. This is not difficult to understand - the two sides have cooperated in the field of online search.

According to sources, Google even pays billions of dollars every year to make its search engine the default option in the Safari web browser on iPhones and other devices in the Apple ecosystem.

If the merger plan is successful, Apple will introduce generative AI features on iOS 18, the upcoming version of the mobile operating system on new iPhone devices.

How or even when Gemini AI will appear on iPhones remains unclear. For now, there are two options: Gemini AI embedded as part of iOS, or accessed through Google's own apps and services.

It’s also unclear what will happen to Siri, Apple’s AI-powered digital assistant. Before the potential partnership with Apple emerged, Google teamed up with Samsung Electronics to bring Gemini AI to its latest Galaxy S24 smartphone.

Gemini will be integrated into Samsung apps like Notes, Voice Recorder and Keyboard app on this high-end phone line.

Observers say the Google-Samsung Electronics tie-up could hint at what could happen with the iPhone, but given Apple's track record, the company won't be rushing into it.

Observers also believe that Apple will hardly gain any benefits by bringing an AI-integrated product to market right now, especially when current models are still prone to errors, attracting negative publicity and lawsuits.

Additionally, in the early stages of the AI ​​boom, Apple will benefit from the upsides of this technology through Gemini without having to deal with many of the downsides.

If something goes wrong, it will be Google's fault, not Apple's. When the time is right and AI models are more mature, Apple may have the option to replace Google's Gemini with its own model.

This is similar to when they stopped using Intel chips in Mac devices when Apple's own chips were ready to launch. For now, Google and its huge data store is a logical choice for Apple.

Experts say the Apple-Google partnership could be the biggest AI deal yet, a milestone in the tech industry.

About 170 million next-generation AI-enabled smartphones are expected to ship this year, according to a preliminary forecast from market tracker IDC.

The figure is a significant jump from last year's 51 million and would account for nearly 15 percent of all smartphones shipped worldwide.

IDC said that integrating a powerful AI engine on the iPhone will contribute significantly to the presence of AI smartphones in the market.

The big question here is whether Gemini integrated into the iPhone can help Google and Apple surpass Microsoft in the AI ​​race?

Only time will tell. In the meantime, the tech world will watch to see how the potential partnership between Google and Apple develops./.