Last month, it was announced that the only AI model that would be integrated into Apple devices when Apple Intelligence launches would be ChatGPT, but Apple will announce “at least” one more deal to add Google Gemini by the fall, according to analyst Mark Gurman in his Bloomberg “Power On” newsletter. Gemini has been at the center of the iOS 18 chatbot rumors as much as OpenAI, with Apple’s software chief Craig Federighi even hinting at a Google deal shortly after the keynote. Anthropic has also been implicated in the rumors, with Gurman suggesting Apple could announce a deal with the company in the future, if not this fall. Meta, on the other hand, was quickly ruled out because its chatbot Llama wasn’t deemed good enough.
Apple reportedly wants to make AI a direct revenue stream, not just a feature set to promote its hardware products. To that end, the analyst suggests the company could launch subscription-only Apple Intelligence features. However, it doesn’t look like that’s happening any time soon, and while Apple Intelligence will only be available for the iPhone 15 Pro, 16, and 16 Pro initially, it’s unclear whether the first version will be enough to drive users to buy a new device en masse. In the meantime, Apple will still get a cut of AI revenue through in-app purchase commissions for its partners’ chatbot subscriptions. Third-party AI services could be an interesting interim solution for the Cupertino company as it gradually introduces its own generative AI system.