WORLD - Apple and Google have announced a multi-year partnership under which Google’s Gemini will power Apple’s next-generation artificial intelligence features, including the Siri assistant.

The collaboration marks a significant shift for Apple, which has traditionally developed its core technologies in-house.

In a joint statement, Apple said it selected Google’s AI-based assistant after a “rigorous evaluation,” concluding that it offers “the most capable foundation” for the iPhone maker’s ambitions in artificial intelligence.

The announcement represents a rare alliance between two long-time rivals in the smartphone market, where Apple’s iOS and Google’s Android dominate globally.

Despite their rivalry, the two companies have maintained a lucrative partnership for years, with Google paying Apple billions of dollars annually to keep its search engine as the default on iPhones and other Apple devices.

However, technology regulators have criticized this relationship. In an antitrust case, the U.S. Department of Justice argued that the agreement helps Google maintain its dominance in search, although a judge ruled that the companies could continue operating under the deal.

Meanwhile, Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla and owner of the AI company xAI, criticized the latest agreement, describing it as anti-competitive. He said it represents an “unreasonable concentration of power” in favor of Google, given its ownership of both Android and Chrome.

Reports also indicate that Apple is exploring potential partnerships with OpenAI, Anthropic, and Perplexity.

No financial details of the latest agreement were disclosed. However, reports surrounding the deal pushed Alphabet’s market capitalization Google’s parent company past the $4 trillion mark for the first time.