Google Hopes to Reach Gemini Deal with Apple this Year

FILE PHOTO: Alphabet and Google CEO Sundar Pichai speaks to media following his meeting with Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk (not pictured) at Google Campus in Warsaw, Poland, February 13, 2025. REUTERS/Aleksandra Szmigiel/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Alphabet and Google CEO Sundar Pichai speaks to media following his meeting with Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk (not pictured) at Google Campus in Warsaw, Poland, February 13, 2025. REUTERS/Aleksandra Szmigiel/File Photo
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Google Hopes to Reach Gemini Deal with Apple this Year

FILE PHOTO: Alphabet and Google CEO Sundar Pichai speaks to media following his meeting with Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk (not pictured) at Google Campus in Warsaw, Poland, February 13, 2025. REUTERS/Aleksandra Szmigiel/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Alphabet and Google CEO Sundar Pichai speaks to media following his meeting with Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk (not pictured) at Google Campus in Warsaw, Poland, February 13, 2025. REUTERS/Aleksandra Szmigiel/File Photo

Google hopes to enter an agreement with Apple by the middle of this year to include its Gemini AI technology on new phones, CEO Sundar Pichai said in testimony at an antitrust trial in Washington on Wednesday.
Pichai testified in the Alphabet unit's defense against proposals by the US Department of Justice which include ending lucrative deals with Apple, Samsung, AT&T and Verizon to be the default search engine on new mobile devices, Reuters reported.
During questioning by DOJ attorney Veronica Onyema, Pichai said that while Google does not yet have an agreement with Apple to include its Gemini AI on iPhones, Pichai spoke with Apple CEO Tim Cook about the possibility last year.
A potential deal this year would see Google's Gemini AI included within Apple Intelligence, Apple's own set of AI features, Pichai said.
Google also plans to experiment with including ads in its Gemini app, Pichai said.
Prosecutors have sought to illustrate how Google could extend its dominance in online search to AI. Google maintained its monopoly in part by paying billions of dollars to wireless carriers and smartphone manufacturers, US District Judge Amit Mehta ruled last year.
The judge is now weighing what actions Google should take to restore competition. The outcome of the case could fundamentally reshape the internet by potentially unseating Google as the go-to portal for information online.
The DOJ and a broad coalition of state attorneys general are pressing for remedies including requiring Google to sell off its Chrome web browser, banning it from paying to be the default search engine and requiring it to share search data with competitors.
The data-sharing provisions would discourage Google from investing in research and development, Pichai testified on Wednesday.
Provisions that would require the company to share its search index and search query data are "extraordinary," and amount to a "defacto divestiture of our IP related to search," Pichai said.
"It would be trivial to reverse engineer and effectively build Google search from the outside," he said.
That would make it "unviable to invest in R&D the way we have for the past two decades," Pichai added.
Google has said it plans to appeal once the judge makes a final ruling.



KFSHRC Performs World’s First Robotic-Assisted BiVAD Implantation

The procedure was meticulously planned and benefited from 3D imaging technologies - SPA
The procedure was meticulously planned and benefited from 3D imaging technologies - SPA
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KFSHRC Performs World’s First Robotic-Assisted BiVAD Implantation

The procedure was meticulously planned and benefited from 3D imaging technologies - SPA
The procedure was meticulously planned and benefited from 3D imaging technologies - SPA

‏King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Center (KFSHRC) in Riyadh has performed the world’s first implantation of two artificial pumps for biventricular support (BiVAD-HMIII) using robotic technology on a patient with advanced heart failure.

According to a press release, this groundbreaking procedure opens new horizons in circulatory support techniques for patients with complex cardiac conditions, marking a significant medical achievement that culminated in the patient’s recovery within a short period following the surgery.

‏The procedure represents a major advancement in the treatment of bilateral heart failure, which was traditionally performed through full sternotomy, an approach associated with higher surgical risks and prolonged recovery.

The cardiac surgery team at KFSHRC, led by Prof. Feras Khaliel, successfully performed the operation through small incisions using remotely controlled high-precision robotic arms, resulting in reduced blood loss, lower risk of infection, and faster patient recovery.

The procedure was meticulously planned and benefited from 3D imaging technologies, real-time surgical navigation, and innovative solutions for safely securing the mechanical assist devices, added the release.

‏KFSHRC aims to publish the results of this procedure in peer-reviewed medical journals and present them at global cardiology conferences to promote knowledge exchange and establish innovative partnerships with leading international centers in robotic care and advanced heart failure management.

According to SPA, these milestones serve as evidence of its leadership in adopting cutting-edge cardiac technologies and managing critical conditions with the highest standards of precision and safety, further reinforcing its position as a leading academic medical center both regionally and globally.