Apple is reportedly developing its own AI-powered search tool to compete with ChatGPT, marking a notable shift in its artificial intelligence strategy.
Apple is reportedly developing its own AI-powered search tool to rival ChatGPT.
According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, the Cupertino-based tech giant has formed a team known as Answers, Knowledge and Information (AKI) to build what it’s calling an “answer engine” – a lightweight chatbot-style product designed to provide web-based responses to general questions.
The goal is reportedly to improve the way Apple devices handle AI search, especially as Siri continues to face criticism for delivering inconsistent or incomplete answers.
Rather than offering a full ChatGPT-style product, Apple is said to be working on a more stripped-down, focused version.
The company is reportedly exploring a standalone app, alongside integrating the tool into Siri, Spotlight, and Safari in future iOS versions.
The supposed AKI project is reportedly being led by Robby Walker, who previously oversaw Siri.
Job listings for the team refer to work that will power “intuitive information experiences across some of Apple’s most iconic products”.
While Apple partnered with OpenAI to bring ChatGPT into its ecosystem, the company’s reluctance to fully embrace chatbot-style tools has raised eyebrows.
Its current AI platform – Apple Intelligence – focuses on features like Genmoji, text rewriting, translation, and photo editing, but currently lacks advanced search capabilities.
The development of an in-house AI engine comes at a time when Apple may face regulatory disruption to its lucrative search deal with Google, which currently pays the iPhone maker billions annually to remain the default search provider on its devices.
With tools like ChatGPT and Perplexity now reshaping how people search online, Apple’s supposed decision to build its own conversational AI could be a sign that the company no longer sees external partnerships alone as enough to stay competitive in the evolving AI landscape.
Apple ‘working on stripped down AI chatbot to rival OpenAI’s ChatGPT’
