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MKBHD Breakdown: The "New Siri" Explained in 2 Minutes

  • Writer: Mag Shum
    Mag Shum
  • Jan 17
  • 2 min read

Updated: Jan 18

The Big Headline

Siri is now powered by Google. In a massive industry shift, Apple has officially partnered with Google to use Google Gemini as the intelligence engine behind Siri. This ends Apple's attempt to build its own foundational "world knowledge" model from scratch.



Video breakdown – so you don't have to watch the whole video:


Why Did Apple Do This?

Marques explains that Apple had two choices:


  1. Ship an inferior product: Continue struggling with their own in-house AI (Apple Intelligence), which was lagging behind competitors.

  2. Swallow their pride: Partner with the current leader in AI data to make the iPhone competitive immediately.



Apple chose option #2. They realized they cannot compete with Google's speed and massive data advantage in training AI models. By using Google's brain, Apple ensures iPhone users don't feel "left behind" compared to Android users.


How It Works (The "Privacy Sandwich")

This is the most critical part of the breakdown. Apple isn't just handing your data to Google. They have built a specific architecture to keep their "Privacy First" reputation:


  • Layer 1 (On-Device): Your iPhone still handles personal, private data (contacts, calendar, messages) locally on its own chip.

  • Layer 2 (Private Cloud): If a task is too heavy for the phone but requires privacy, it goes to Apple’s secure "Private Cloud Compute."

  • Layer 3 (Google Gemini): When you ask for general world knowledge ("Plan a 3-day trip to Tokyo" or "Explain quantum physics"), Siri hands the query off to Google Gemini to generate the answer.


Who "Won" the AI War?

Marques argues this is a strategic surrender for Apple, but a survival win.


  • Google Wins: They become the "intelligence layer" for the entire world, powering both Android and iOS. They get massive usage data (anonymized) to make their AI even smarter.

  • Apple Wins: They keep the customer. You stay on iPhone because Siri is finally smart, rather than switching to Android to get better AI features.


The Bottom Line

The old "Siri vs. Google Assistant" debate is dead. Siri is Google Assistant now, just wearing an Apple-designed coat.


Next Step: This update is slated for iOS 26.4 (Spring 2026).

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