Google has dominated smartphone AI for years, with Assistant and Gemini having pulled well ahead of Siri.Well, Apple just upended this narrative with the introduction of Siri AI in iOS 27.The new assistant uses Gemini as a teacher, but has customizations that make it do things Android users have wanted for years That previous lead in digital assistant prowess had seemed insurmountable in recent months: Android 17's Gemini Intelligence promises a whole new era of agent-driven phones.Meanwhile, Apple was struggling to deliver AI features it teased in 2024.
However, when the new Siri AI launches this fall, it could easily be the ideal version of Gemini that Google won't even give to Pixel fans.Siri AI has some Google Assistant features you lost It can handle everyday tasks without getting too clever Ask long-time Android fans about the switch from Google Assistant to Gemini, and they'll likely mention a common functionality that went by the wayside, such as remembering where you parked.While Google has rolled some of that functionality back in, Gemini still stumbles over basic device tasks like timers and media playback, even after you've made a few tweaks.
Siri AI doesn't have that baggage.It's still easy to handle the simple requests you make every day, without the abrupt loss of features that Pixel users faced when Gemini came into play.Moreover, it's friendly and conversational while getting to the point: unlike Gemini, it doesn't become overly chatty.
You can even change the pace and expressiveness of Siri's voices.No, Apple doesn't have a powerful AI agent that can accomplish complex, multistep tasks with a single command.That could easily be a disadvantage in the long run.
Siri can draw on apps as needed, though, so it's not falling short in the way people use AI right now: quick requests that occasionally need follow-ups, In that regard, Google is too far-sighted with Gemini in Android 17.It's betting on agents when many people still use AI in short bursts, and that's where the new Siri will shine.Pixel owners would ideally get their agentic superpower without the tradeoffs Gemini currently demands, and that's just not the case so far.
Gemini with the privacy you actually want Your data isn't up for grabs Google doesn't sell Gemini data or use it for targeted ads.By default, however, it links your chat history to your Google account and grants human reviewers access (though they won't see your account).You have to disable those features to avoid leaving a data trail, and Google even warns against sharing sensitive information in Gemini chats.
It's a good thing that Gemini has only limited access to text messages, then.Apple touts greater privacy with Siri AI.Data isn't stored when it has to go to the cloud, and is only used to handle a request.
Not even Apple can see what's happening — it can sift through your messages without leaking them.Outside experts can also verify that Apple is doing what it promises.Simply put, you can trust Siri AI in a way you can't with Gemini.
You can find an appointment or a special photo without much worry that hackers and spies might intercept that request.What good is having powerful AI on your Pixel if you're afraid to use it? Google would do well to borrow Apple's privacy-first stance, even if it means losing some inter-device portability.AI that draws the line between reflecting and distorting reality What you see should be what's really there Gemini's image editing and generation models are outstanding, especially if you have a Pixel.
You can add yourself to group shots (Add Me), get all the right faces in portraits (Best Take), or take 100X zoom shots that still look sharp.You can not only remove objects to clean up photos, but you can also outright change the nature of those photos.Want a different sky or to change the color of someone's clothes? You can.
Apple, meanwhile, purposefully restrains what its AI can do with images.You can remove objects from photos, extend images that were cropped too closely, and even use spatial (3D) reframing to get a different angle on an existing shot.What you can't do is reimagine those photos, at least not within iOS 27's Camera and Photo apps.
Related AI Slop Has Shattered My Trust in Google Pixel Phones Pixels are hardly the only phones with AI, but they're the most aggressive.Posts 11 By Bertel King You can produce realistic pictures in Image Playground, and there's the option of AI-generated wallpapers.You still won't be happy if you're uncomfortable with any option of using AI to skew reality.
However, Apple is fencing off AI in a way that Google doesn't.In its WWDC keynote, Apple emphasized that it wants to "respect the original moment" of a photo.While that's marketing speak, it's more than what Google claims — even the Pixel's 100X zoom is altering the image, not just enhancing it.
I'd love it if Google made a similar distinction between photo manipulation and from-scratch image creation, just to reduce the temptation to produce AI slop.Google can quickly regain the lead This isn't to say Apple has won the phone AI war by any means.If agents take off, Android 17 and Gemini Intelligence will put Google well out in front.
And of course, Siri AI exists within a walled garden; if you leave the iPhone, you leave its assistant behind as well.It's just that Apple has caught up in a big way, and that it's Google's turn to take notes if it wants to maintain its long-held supremacy.
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