Apple used WWDC on Monday to show the rebuilt Siri it promised in 2024, finally working. The part it played down: the new Apple Foundation Models were built with Google, and the heaviest requests run on Gemini in the cloud.
Apple framed the handoff as a privacy win. Craig Federighi said privacy in AI is non-negotiable and that data is used only to execute a request, while Siri gains a dedicated app and the ability to act across apps. The model strength, though, now comes from the rival Apple spent years positioning against.
The unanswered question is routing. Apple says Gemini never runs on the device or sees user data, and that Private Cloud Compute holds the line. It has not shown which requests hit an Apple model, an Apple server, or Google's. The relaunch follows a missed 2024 schedule and a $250 million settlement, with the beta due later this year.
Why This Matters:
Apple's privacy pitch now rests on a routing boundary it hasn't detailed, handing rivals and regulators a clean opening to test where requests actually go.
A clean Gemini handoff lets Apple rent frontier-model strength without losing the customer; a leaky one turns the iPhone into a Google funnel.
Apple used WWDC on Monday to show the rebuilt Siri it promised in 2024, finally working. The part it played down: the new Apple Foundation Models were built with Google, and the heaviest requests run on Gemini in the cloud.
Apple framed the handoff as a privacy win. Craig Federighi said privacy in AI is non-negotiable and that data is used only to execute a request, while Siri gains a dedicated app and the ability to act across apps. The model strength, though, now comes from the rival Apple spent years positioning against.
The unanswered question is routing. Apple says Gemini never runs on the device or sees user data, and that Private Cloud Compute holds the line. It has not shown which requests hit an Apple model, an Apple server, or Google's. The relaunch follows a missed 2024 schedule and a $250 million settlement, with the beta due later this year.
Why This Matters:
Apple's privacy pitch now rests on a routing boundary it hasn't detailed, handing rivals and regulators a clean opening to test where requests actually go.
A clean Gemini handoff lets Apple rent frontier-model strength without losing the customer; a leaky one turns the iPhone into a Google funnel.