(Reuters) -Apple ( AAPL ) is in early talks to use Google's Gemini AI to revamp the Siri voice assistant, Bloomberg News reported on Friday, citing people familiar with the matter.

Alphabet's shares were up 3.7% while Apple's ( AAPL ) stock was up 1.6%, both extending gains in afternoon trading following the report.

Apple ( AAPL ) recently approached Alphabet's Google to develop a custom AI model to power a redesigned Siri next year, the report said.

Apple ( AAPL ) remains weeks from deciding whether to stick with in-house Siri models or switch to an external partner, and it has not yet chosen a partner.

The iPhone maker and Alphabet did not immediately respond to Reuters requests for comment.

Apple ( AAPL ) has lagged smartphone makers like Google and Samsung in deploying generative AI features, which have rapidly integrated advanced assistants and advanced models across products.

The potential shift comes after delays to a long-promised Siri overhaul designed to execute tasks using personal context and enable full voice-based device control.

That upgrade, initially slated for this last spring, was pushed back by a year due to engineering setbacks.

Siri has historically been less capable than Alexa and Google Assistant at handling complex, multi-step requests and integrating with third-party apps.

Earlier this year, Apple ( AAPL ) also discussed potential tie-ups with Anthropic and OpenAI, considering whether Claude or ChatGPT could power a revamped Siri, Bloomberg News previously reported.