Tech giant AppleAAPL

hasn’t been this unpopular since 2013 — and its recent controversies, high-profile flubs, and lackluster leadership on AI have some investors treating it like a “value stock,” according to Osaic’s Phil Blancato. But the company is throwing its weight behind AlphabetGOOG

and its AI model, Gemini, hoping to buy time to catch up.

• Apple is in talks to integrate Google’s Gemini AI engine into its iPhone Operating System (iOS), which will power several new features launching later this year.
• This news follows Apple’s reported discussions with OpenAI, which counts competitor MicrosoftMSFT
  among its largest shareholders.

Forward-looking: Google’s Gemini has not been without its issues, which will have to be worked out to avoid embarrassment — but a deal would give Apple time to plot its own course for success in the crowded generative AI space. Apple has already begun hiring, acquiring, and reallocating resources toward its new AI ventures, which CEO Tim Cook promises will be released on a “very thoughtful basis” and “break new ground” this year.