Analysis: Apple Pivots Siri to LLMs, Integrating ChatGPT and Planning Gemini Support

John Ternus has taken over as Apple’s chief executive as the iPhone maker seeks to close a widening gap in generative artificial intelligence. He inherits a strategy that leans on outside partners, including Google, rather than relying solely on Apple-built models. The approach is central to a long-delayed Siri overhaul and could reshape how Apple differentiates its devices and services while preserving the margins underpinning its hardware-led business.

Ternus’s first major test will come at Apple’s September product event, when the revamped Siri is set to face public scrutiny. Apple is paying Google about $1 billion a year to use Gemini to power the assistant. While the partnership could accelerate deployment, expanding AI features across Apple’s installed base may leave the company with a steep, recurring bill for cloud infrastructure and inference capacity.