This New Gemini Is Not the Siri We Need

Something felt off when I watched Google’s Android AI presentation this week. My colleague Andrew Lanxon summed up the issue perfectly: All of Google’s AI use-case examples revolved around spending large sums of money on shopping and travel, making the presentation — in his words — a “salute to rampant capitalism.”

But this Google gaffe isn’t just an Android-user issue, as Gemini could influence the future of Siri. Apple partnered with Google to build a better Siri, and whatever Apple shows off next will be built with the aid of Gemini’s models and programming. So in this week’s episode of One More Thing, embedded below, I examine the good and bad of the new Gemini Intelligence, and how it might mesh with what we want from Apple Intelligence.

Unless you like ordering food, spin classes and concert tickets with AI, not much of what’s new from Gemini will impress. (There were even some voice commands I could already do from my iPhone easily, like finding late-night pizza joints.) Still, I’ll admit there were two new Android features that could give iPhone owners a little Android envy. 

Spoiler: Booking Costa Rican coffee and chocolate tours for a party of six was not one of them.

For more One More Thing, subscribe to our YouTube page to catch Bridget Carey breaking down the latest Apple news and issues every Friday.