Apple is in discussions with Google about using the search giant’s generative artificial intelligence model called Gemini for its next iPhone, as the company races to embrace a technology that has upended the tech industry.

The talks are preliminary and the exact scope of a potential deal hasn’t been defined, three people with knowledge of the discussions said. Apple also has held discussions with other AI companies, one of these people said, as it looks to tap into the power of a large language model capable of analysing vast amounts of data and generating text on its own.

Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO, has promised investors that the company will introduce new generative AI capabilities later this year. The company’s smartphone rivals, Samsung and Google, have already added Gemini to their newest devices to edit videos and summarise audio recordings.

Apple and Google declined to comment. Bloomberg earlier reported on the talks between Apple and Google.

An Apple-Google deal on generative AI would extend one of technology’s most long-standing partnerships. Since Apple introduced the iPhone in 2007, Google has been a critical contributor to the device’s success. It initially provided Google Maps for navigation and later struck a deal to become the default search engine on the iPhone’s Safari browser, a lucrative agreement for which Google pays Apple more than $US18 billion ($28 billion) a year.

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Google’s discussions to provide generative AI capabilities for the iPhone would be the latest example of it filling a gap in Apple’s products. Apple’s effort to develop its own large language model, the technology behind chatbots such as ChatGPT and Google’s Gemini, has been running behind, two people familiar with its development said.

Apple’s delay in releasing an AI product has been costly. After a decade-long run as the world’s most valuable public company, it was dethroned this year by Microsoft, which has aggressively pursued AI. The technology has been heralded for its potential to disrupt businesses and create trillions of dollars in economic value.

Despite its delays, Apple has the potential to be a big player in AI. The company has more than 2 billion devices actively in use, making it an attractive partner for Google and others. It also has a reputation for protecting customers’ private information that could be helpful in a future where AI services help manage people’s calendars or health data.