Apple (AAPL.O) is in preliminary discussions about using Google (GOOG.O)'s Gemini to power an improved version of Siri's voice assistant, marking a key step for Apple to outsource more artificial intelligence technology, Internet reports. According to people familiar with the matter, Apple recently approached Google to discuss creating a customized artificial intelligence model that will serve as the basis for the new Siri next year. People familiar with the matter said Google has begun training a model that can run on Apple servers. Earlier this year, Apple also explored working with Anthropic or OpenAI to assess whether Claude or ChatGPT could become Siri's "new brain." Currently, it will take several weeks for Apple to decide whether to continue using the internal model of Siri or switch to a partner, and Apple has not yet determined who the partner is.