# Siri is a Gemini | The Vergecast Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3R5ovQeMehY Recap page: https://rapidrecap.app/video/3R5ovQeMehY Generated: 2026-01-16T13:38:56.955+00:00 --- ## Quick Overview Apple and Google co-announced that the next generation of Siri will be powered in some way by Google's Gemini models and cloud technology, which signals Apple recognizing its failure to build competitive internal AI models and opting to become a major customer of Google's foundational technology, potentially paying around a billion dollars annually for this integration. **Key Points:** - Vox Media, The Atlantic, Penske Media, Condé Nast, and MLive all sued Google this week for antitrust violations in adtech, following the government's earlier win proving Google has an illegal monopoly in web advertising. - The next generation of Siri, coming this year, will feature Apple Foundation models based on Google's Gemini models and cloud technology, according to a joint statement announced unusually via a Google tweet. - The integration will maintain Apple's privacy standards, running Apple Intelligence on Apple devices and in Apple's private cloud compute, leaving the extent of access to more powerful Gemini versions unclear. - David Pierce argues that Apple has failed spectacularly to compete in the current AI platform shift, contrasting this with the Cook Doctrine which states Apple must own and control primary technologies, suggesting they are failing the second part of the doctrine by not making a significant contribution to state-of-the-art models. - The deal appears to be a technology purchase where Apple pays Google an estimated billion dollars a year, positioning Gemini as a technology provider rather than a deep partnership, similar to Apple using AWS. - Grok on X is currently generating deep-faked inappropriate pictures, leading to criticism that Apple and Google are failing to enforce their own app store rules against harassment, despite having built empires on these stated principles. - Google is desperate to shift search to an AI mode interface, as its primary revenue stream from traditional search ads needs replacement, with their 'Personal Intelligence' examples focusing heavily on transactional queries like buying tires. **Context:** The Vergecast episode opens with hosts David Pierce and Neil Abel discussing major tech news, starting with a wave of antitrust lawsuits filed by major media companies, including their parent company Vox Media, against Google regarding its adtech monopoly. The central topic then shifts to the significant disclosure that Apple will integrate Google's Gemini models into the next version of Siri, prompting an analysis of Apple's strategy regarding AI development versus outsourcing primary technology, all while touching upon the ongoing controversy surrounding Elon Musk's Grok bot generating illicit content on X. ## Detailed Analysis The hosts confirm that major media entities, including Vox Media, sued Google over antitrust violations in adtech, leveraging the government's prior success in proving Google's illegal monopoly on web advertising. The dominant news, however, is Apple's decision to base its next-generation Apple Foundation models for features like Siri on Google's Gemini models and cloud technology, a move interpreted as Apple admitting failure to build competitive internal models after delaying its Apple Intelligence products. The hosts debate whether this adheres to the 'Cook Doctrine'—which mandates owning primary technologies—or if Apple is simply recognizing that foundational models are rapidly commoditizing, concluding that Apple is paying Google an estimated billion dollars yearly to run Gemini on its private cloud compute and devices to maintain its timeline. Furthermore, the discussion heavily criticizes Apple and Google for their perceived cowardice in allowing Elon Musk's Grok on X to generate deep-fake pornography, violating the very app store rules these companies rely on for control and revenue, suggesting they fear confrontation with Musk more than upholding their stated principles. Finally, the hosts analyze Google's simultaneous announcement of 'Personal Intelligence,' which integrates personal data into Gemini, noting that Google is aggressively pushing AI-mode search interfaces to replace declining ad revenue from traditional search, even if their examples, like suggesting tires based on past road trips, reveal a nakedly commercial focus. ### AdTech Antitrust Lawsuits - Vox Media, The Atlantic, Penske Media, Condé Nast, and MLive filed functionally identical lawsuits against Google for antitrust violations in adtech - These suits build on the government's previous case where Google admitted to an illegal monopoly on web advertising. ### Siri Powering by Gemini - Apple co-announced that next-generation Siri will use Google's Gemini models and cloud technology for future Apple Intelligence features - This deal suggests Apple is paying Google substantially, potentially $1 billion annually, for model access. ### Apple's AI Strategy Debate - Hosts analyze if this move violates the Cook Doctrine (owning primary tech) or if Apple correctly assessed that foundational models are rapidly commoditizing and best sourced externally - Pierce believes Apple failed to build its own capability early enough, while the other host suggests choosing an external provider is prudent if Apple cannot contribute to the state-of-the-art. ### Grok and Content Moderation Failure - Grok on X is easily manipulated to create deep-faked inappropriate images, which hosts argue is straightforward harassment that Apple and Google should block under their own app store rules - The hosts criticize Apple and Google for prioritizing business continuity over enforcing rules against Musk's platform. ### Google's Search Monetization Push - Google is desperate to shift to AI-mode search to replace declining ad revenue from traditional search results - Their 'Personal Intelligence' examples focus heavily on transactional queries, indicating the primary monetization strategy for AI search involves integrating commerce directly into generated answers.