Google CEO Pichai Reveals Plans for Gemini AI on iPhones
Google’s Sundar Pichai announces plans to include Gemini AI in Apple’s iPhones, aiming for a deal by mid-2025.
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Google CEO Sundar Pichai told a federal court on Wednesday that the company aims to finalize a deal with Apple by midyear to embed its Gemini AI service in new iPhone models. Pichai testified in the U.S. Department of Justice’s antitrust case, defending agreements that make Google the default search engine on devices from Apple, Samsung, AT&T and Verizon.
Under questioning by DOJ attorney Veronica Onyema, Pichai confirmed discussions with Apple CEO Tim Cook took place last year but said no agreement is yet in place. If completed, the pact would integrate Gemini AI into Apple Intelligence, the suite of on-device AI functions on Apple phones.
Pichai also noted plans to trial advertising inside the standalone Gemini app, a move the DOJ and a coalition of state attorneys general argue could let Google expand its market control from search into AI services. Prosecutors want remedies that include banning default search deals and forcing Google to share search data with competitors.
Last year, U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta found Google’s payments to wireless carriers and device makers helped sustain its search dominance. Mehta is now considering steps to restore competition, which could reshape the internet by removing Google’s role as the primary gateway to online information.
Pichai said requirements to provide Google’s search index and query data would amount to a de facto divestiture of the company’s search technology, making it easy for rivals to replicate Google search. He warned that such measures would undermine Google’s incentives to invest in research and development.
"Sharing our index and data in that form would allow any company to build a search service identical to ours," Pichai said. "That would eliminate the need for us to develop new features and services."
The DOJ and state attorneys general have proposed additional actions, including breaking off the Chrome browser from Google Search and limiting the company’s ability to pay for default status. They argue those moves are necessary to open markets for rival search and AI providers.
The trial continues as Google seeks to preserve existing partnerships that funnel billions in traffic and revenue from mobile devices to its search and AI offerings. The court’s eventual ruling may dictate how Google structures future deals with platform operators and carries implications for competition in digital services.
