A reported joint venture between Apple and Google may open the door for a higher degree of monitoring and collection of user data. The two companies dominate the communications market. The rival tech giants sometimes collaborate but primarily maintain distinct approaches regarding the collection and use of consumer data. That may be about to change.
Though both Apple and Google have acknowledged significant data breaches that compromised customer information, Apple has communicated its commitment not to sell, use for marketing purposes or store customer profile or search history information.
Google, on the other hand, is well-known for data mining customer information and using algorithms to send users unsolicited ads for products and services based on their queries and search history.
Google also stores user search history information for three years.
A reported new Apple-Google partnership could result in the incorporation of Google’s powerful Gemini AI platform into Apple iPhone, iPad, and Mac computer products.
Though Apple was reportedly working on a significant upgrade to the Siri AI assistant for iOS 18, set to be unveiled later this year, the company is now working with Google on a new AI virtual assistant product.
The Blaze reported that Google Gemini will “take center stage at Apple’s WWDC event this spring, where iOS 18 is expected to be unveiled.”
The BBC reported that Google’s AI platform has had notable issues, including the high-profile failure in February when Gemini responses were shown to support “woke” ideology.
Embarrassed Google executives apologized after multiple reports of Gemini’s egregious false and misleading responses and immediately “paused” Gemini’s rollout, writing in a blog post that it was “missing the mark.”
However, Google has reportedly addressed those issues and is currently several generations ahead of Apple on the AI assistant technology front.
⚡️Tim Cook didn't know: Apple is negotiating with Google to integrate the Gemini neural network into its devices, according to insiders.
✅Apple has even developed its own Apple GPT chatbot, but in terms of quality it lags far behind Google and OpenAI neural networks.#Apple pic.twitter.com/nwpEf7M1kS
— Hare AI (@harecrypta_ai) April 5, 2024
The on-again, off-again relationship between Apple and Google has been prominent. For years, Google Maps and YouTube were preloaded on Apple products — that is no longer the case. However, Google reportedly still pays Apple $18 billion annually to be the default search engine on Apple’s Safari browser.
A renewed Apple-Google partnership would increase revenue for both companies. Google would benefit from Apple’s vast user base, and Apple anticipates increasing sales by boasting that it has made great strides in AI technology.
Critics of the potential joint venture worry about what a new partnership could mean for consumer data security. A CNET reporter referred to the plan to incorporate Gemini generative AI into Apple’s iOS 18 as “problematic.”
