Apple to ‘distill’ Google’s Gemini into smaller models to power localized iPhone AI features: Report

Apple had announced its partnership with Google to use Gemini to power the latest version of Siri, along with other Apple Intelligence features, but the finer details of that arrangement had remained under wraps. Now, as per a new report by The Information, under the arrangement, Apple gets full access to the Gemini model in its own data centre, which gives the iPhone maker the right to produce smaller models for specific tasks that are small enough to run directly on Apple devices.

Apple can ‘distil’ Gemini into smaller models:

The report also goes on to note that Apple can perform distillation on the Gemini model, which is a technique by which an LLM can transfer its knowledge onto a smaller model. In this process, Apple’s model would act as a student model that tries to learn and imitate the ‘chain of thought’ of the Gemini model.

With a smaller model, Apple also gets the flexibility of spending less computing power, allowing them to run on-device. The report also confirms that Apple is planning to unveil a smarter version of Siri at the WWDC conference in June this year, which would allow the voice assistant to remember past conversations it had with users and even suggest proactive responses like ‘they leave home to avoid traffic ahead of an airport pickup.’

Moreover, Apple’s Foundation Models team has also reportedly not given up on developing its own in-house models, but it’s not clear what the progress on that front has been.

What is Apple planning with Siri?

Another report by Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman on Sunday had also confirmed that the Siri unveiling would happen at the WWDC 2026 conference on 8 June. The report also noted that Apple is planning to unveil a standalone app for Siri that would give it a fresh new look by bringing in a chatbot-like experience.

The app would give users access to all their past conversations with the AI assistant right from its main interface. It will also come with the ability to pin favourite chats, save older conversations, search across interactions, and start new conversations via a plus button inside the app.

The new Siri app will work similarly to any other chatbot out there, with the option to upload attachments like images and documents, send text and images, and a switch to turn in and out of voice mode. The app will also reportedly have the ability to suggest prompts to users based on their prior usage.

Meanwhile, Apple is also planning to develop Siri as a system-wide AI agent that could be deeply integrated across applications. The new Siri will reportedly have better control over features within iPhones and Mac, while also having the ability to tap into users’ personal data like messages, notes, and emails. The revamped Siri will also be able to power complete tasks within apps, access news, and search the web using Apple’s built-in interfaces and models.