Google Parent Alphabet Rises Following Reports of Gemini AI Licensing Talks With Apple

Shares of Google parent Alphabet ( GOOGL ) surged over 7% in early trading Monday following reports it and Apple ( AAPL ) have had discussions about putting Google’s Gemini artificial intelligence (AI) products into future iPhone operating systems.

Licensing discussions between the tech giants are ongoing and Apple has also had similar discussions with ChatGPT maker OpenAI , Bloomberg reported.

Apple CEO Tim Cook previously told investors that the company has been working on AI projects. Apple has also reportedly made recent acquisitions to advance further in the AI space.

iOS 18, the next operating system Apple could announce later this year, will include AI-powered features developed by Apple, according to Bloomberg . However, larger AI tasks like long text or image generation could be licensed from another company.

Reports emerged last summer that Apple was working on its own AI projects, codenamed Ajax, including creating its own large language model (LLM) , the AI technology that powers chatbots like ChatGPT and Gemini.

Apple and Google already have an agreement that makes Google the default search engine on Apple devices, which has come under fire from antitrust regulators in the past.

While discussions are ongoing, Bloomberg reported that Apple might not make an announcement about its possible AI partner until its annual Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) in June.

Wedbush analysts said the development would be a “major win for Google” and that it could give Apple “the foundation and technology blueprint to double down on AI features.”

Apple and Google did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Alphabet shares were up 7.3% at $151.15 as of 9:45 a.m. ET Monday, while Apple shares were 2.7% higher at $177.23.