Apple chose Google’s Gemini over ChatGPT

This partnership has surely upset OpenAI’s management, shareholders, and its CEO, Sam Altman. On Monday, the iPhone maker announced they are integrating Google’s AI models to revamp its Apple features and Siri. This tech news today somehow hints at where this AI race stands. 

In a joint statement, the company said,

After careful evaluation, Apple determined that Google’s AI technology provides the most capable foundation.

Apple also said that there’s no change with the current OpenAI arrangement. Users can still tap ChatGPT for specific queries or tasks. This sounded like politeness disguised in corporate speak. When it came to picking the main brain for Siri’s upgrade, the company preferred Google. Now, the role of OpenAI appears more like a supportive side feature and less like a strategic partnership.

This decision holds huge significance because Apple is not one of those to take big initiatives casually. Remember, the company in this discussion is the one that killed Airpower despite its announcement because the charging pad wasn’t reliable.

The HomePod got postponed. Before making any commitment, Apple spent years looking for the right AI partner. When Tim Cook says “Apple must do this” about AI to its employees, the company is being serious.

The AI Giant Couldn’t Seal the Deal

The partnership was not an overnight decision. Starting last summer, the company conducted a strategic evaluation process. Apple’s corporate development chief, Adrian Perica, along with Rockwell and Federighi setup meetings with OpenAI, Anthropic, and Google regarding Siri’s potential upgrade. 

There were two internal versions, built by Apple, to test. One with the codename “Linwood” relied on the company’s own models. And the other, named “Glenwood,” was powered by an external technology. Both versions went through a rigorous testing process to match Apple’s quality frameworks. 

Initially, Anthropic took the lead. With safety features and solid performance, the Claude model made a strong impression on Apple’s engineers. But the pricing proposed by Anthropic was a deal breaker. Apple then decided to expand its search for a reliable AI partner, moving beyond the initial favourites. 

Google saw the opportunity from afar and started preparing for the competition. Over the summer, the search giant trained a custom model of Gemini. Since Google already serves as a powerhouse for Samsung’s various AI frameworks on Galaxy phones, the company wasn’t clueless to begin with. More than that, Apple values Google’s financial stability and infrastructure. 

OpenAI participated during this time. ChatGPT integration in iOS 26, followed by the WWDC 2024 announcement, had already fueled the company’s confidence. But OpenAI failed to crack the deal. ChatGPT 5, released in August, struggled with straightforward queries and disappointed users by picking a colder tone. It took months for OpenAI to tune the model according to the demand. Seeing this kind of inconsistency, Apple lost interest in OpenAI.

Timing Was Perfect for Google

In November, Google made Gemini 3 public, and the model matched the industry’s top benchmarks. The launch showed that Google’s investment in AI was worth it. Also, the company was leading on with energy-efficient custom AI chips, an alternative to Nvidia’s processors.

Things were opposite in the case of OpenAI. Sam Altman, in December, sent a “code red” message to employees, stating that ChatGPT required urgent fixes.

Fast-forward to 2026, Google took the centre stage while OpenAI watched from the sidelines. The company that opened the gates for the AI industry and led the game is now facing an unexpected shift.

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