Following a Bloomberg report that iOS 27 will replace Siri with...A brand new lookLater, The Information website further uncovered...Details of the agreement behind the collaboration between Apple and GoogleThe report points out that Apple not only accesses Google's Gemini model in the cloud, but also obtains "extremely rare" low-level access permissions. It plans to use this privilege to perform "model distillation," transferring Gemini's powerful knowledge to a lightweight model that can run on iPhone devices, allowing Siri to significantly improve its response speed while maintaining privacy.
"Model Distillation": Miniaturizing Gemini's intelligence and putting it into an iPhone
The report points out that the most crucial aspect of this agreement is that Apple was granted full access to the Gemini model within its own data center, a permission that allows Apple to perform "model distillation" technology. Simply put, this is a process similar to a "master-apprentice" relationship.
• Teachers and students:The massive Gemini model acts as the "teacher," while the lightweight model running on the iPhone is the "student."
• Imitating computational logic:Because Apple has full access rights, the student model not only imitates the final answer given by the teacher, but also learns the "internal calculation logic" by which the teacher arrives at the answer.
• Efficiency and speed:In this way, Apple can refine task-specific models with near-top-tier performance, but small enough to run on mobile devices. This not only significantly reduces reliance on cloud computing power, but also allows Siri to perform exceptionally well in offline scenarios or situations requiring extremely fast response times.
The evolution of Siri: to possess memory and proactive prediction capabilities.
The report also reiterated that Apple plans to officially showcase these achievements at WWDC 2026 in June this year. Benefiting from deep integration with Gemini, the new Siri will demonstrate two core capabilities:
• Dialogue memory:Siri will have long-term contextual memory capabilities, allowing it to recall conversations with users from days or even weeks ago, ensuring that communication remains seamless.
• Active functions:For example, when a user is preparing to go to the airport, Siri will proactively suggest that you leave early to avoid traffic jams based on real-time traffic conditions. This proactiveness will transform Siri from a "passive tool" into a "smart assistant".
Despite the vigorous progress of external collaborations, Apple's internal basic model team has not been disbanded. Although the specific progress of its self-developed models is still unclear, Apple is clearly adopting a two-track strategy of "external introduction and internal refinement" in an effort to catch up in the AI race.
