This week's news of a future partnership between tech giants Apple and Google to integrate cutting-edge AI technologies into the iPhone has sparked widespread excitement. Initial reports, led by Bloomberg writer Mark Gurman, have taken the tech community by shock with their innovative discoveries.

Highlights:

• Apple is looking to collaborate with Google for AI features on the iPhone.
• Apple partners with Google to boost iPhone capabilities, entering the AI arena.
• Joint effort between Google and Apple to enhance iPhone features with AI, promising mutual benefits.

After all, Google and Apple are competitors, so Gurman's revelation that the two businesses were in negotiations to integrate Google's AI model, Gemini, inside the iPhone suggested that the two companies may be working closely together.

Apple has long had a motto of "don't do it first, do it right," so it's no surprise that it's late to the AI game on phones compared to Google, Samsung, and Qualcomm. Reports had already hinted that this year's Worldwide Developers Conference will showcase Apple's own AI breakthroughs, which are thought to be mostly on-device improvements—that is, they do not require internet connectivity to function.

However, Google's cooperation might broaden the spectrum of AI functions, with the additional capability coming from the increased processing capacity provided by Google's distant servers in addition to Apple's powerful iPhone hardware.

When AI is involved, things move quickly, so Apple's late arrival may have led to the conclusion that it needed outside assistance.

Choosing Google makes sense since the firms already collaborate on search, with Google paying, as Bloomberg put it, "billions of dollars yearly to make its search tool the default one in the Safari web browser used on the iPhone and other devices."

And, as the New York Times noted, the two businesses have been working together for decades, and Apple is rushing "to embrace a technology that has upended the tech industry." Prior to Android, the default mapping software on the iPhone was Google Maps.

While the arrangement has few details, both sides stand to benefit significantly. Google would have a greater presence on billions of iPhones than ever before, and if the purchase goes through, it would be a huge benefit for Google. According to a report in the New York Times, "Virtually overnight, Google could have more consumers using its AI than its chief rival, OpenAI, which makes ChatGPT — making a pact with Apple a tantalizing prospect."

And, as the New York Times noted, the two businesses have been working together for decades, and Apple is rushing "to embrace a technology that has upended the tech industry." Prior to Android, the default mapping software on the iPhone was Google Maps.

While the arrangement has few details, both sides stand to benefit significantly. Google would have a greater presence on billions of iPhones than ever before, and if the purchase goes through, it would be a huge benefit for Google. According to a report in the New York Times, "Virtually overnight, Google could have attracted more customers using its AI than its main rival, OpenAI, which makes ChatGPT — making a partnership with Apple a tantalizing prospect."

Earlier this year, Samsung announced Galaxy AI, which includes practical features on its latest phones such as a live translation capability that allows you to make calls in multiple languages, which is useful if you're booking a ticket, a table, or a hotel room in a foreign country. This function is handled by-device on the Samsung Galaxy S24, for example.

And, while AI has been on the radar for a long time, it appears that 2019 is the year it gets much more widespread. Apple would have needed to team up with Google to guarantee that it did not miss out on the generative AI party when it took off.