Apple may team with Google on AI Siri search: Is this iPhone 17’s secret feature?

Apple is quietly gearing up for one of the biggest upgrades to Siri since the voice assistant first arrived more than a decade ago. According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, the company is working on a new AI-powered search system for Siri, but may need a little help from a familiar frenemy, Google.
The plan, as reported, involves Apple tapping into Google’s Gemini AI, potentially through a tailor-made model that would live on Apple’s own servers. The move might raise eyebrows, given Apple’s reputation for doing things in-house and its long-running rivalry with Google. Yet with AI reshaping the tech landscape at breakneck speed, Apple seems willing to lean on outside expertise to supercharge Siri.
Not so long ago, the idea of Apple outsourcing any part of Siri’s brainpower was seen as a concession. During the height of the AI hiring frenzy, rivals were luring away some of Apple’s top machine learning talent to bolster their own efforts. Moreover, the delay in a smarter Siri and lawsuits against the company made it look like Apple was losing ground. But the mood has shifted in recent weeks. Apple’s strategy may no longer look like defeat, but rather a pragmatic way to catch up while avoiding unnecessary risks.
Neither Google nor Apple has confirmed the tie-up, but sources familiar with the matter have shared a positive response, as per the reports. If it goes ahead, the deal would build on the existing arrangement that makes Google Search the default on Apple devices. It would also mirror Apple’s limited integration of ChatGPT earlier this year.
Behind the scenes, Apple engineers are calling the new feature, called World Knowledge Answers. The idea is that Siri would be able to provide AI-generated summaries of information pulled directly from the web. No more clunky lists of links. Instead, users could expect rich, interactive responses combining text, images, videos, and even location-based snippets.
Think of it as Siri graduating from answering “What’s the weather like?” to something far closer to a conversational research assistant, designed to rival services from OpenAI or Perplexity.
The reimagined Siri won’t just be about spitting out facts. Apple is developing a three-part system to significantly enhance the assistant’s capabilities, as per the reports. At the front end is a planner, designed to interpret whatever you say or type. Next comes the search layer, which can pull data not just from the web but also from your personal device. Finally, a summariser steps in, condensing all that raw information into something concise, coherent, and hopefully useful.
Crucially, the upgraded Siri will also gain a sense of context. That means being able to recognise what’s on your screen and act on it. Imagine asking Siri to “save this address,” “book tickets for this film,” or “summarise this email”, all triggered by what you’re actively looking at. It’s the kind of functionality that could finally make Siri feel less like a party trick and more like an intelligent assistant.
Yes, timing-wise, Apple appears ready to roll out these enhancements alongside the upcoming iPhone 17 family, with iOS 26.4 tipped to land as soon as March. The redesign is set to be one of Apple’s flagship announcements, reinforcing its commitment to keeping pace in the AI race while doubling down on the privacy and integration that its ecosystem is known for.