Apple quietly developing 'answer engine' to compete with ChatGPT and Google
Reports suggest Apple is developing an in-house "answer engine" set to bring ChatGPT-like power to Siri, Spotlight, and Safari.
Apple may eventually have its own chatbot in the works to rival the likes of ChatGPT, to bring a similar AI experience to its ecosystem, Bloomberg analyst Mark Gurman recently reported.
The brand’s Answers, Knowledge and Information (AKI) team is said to be developing an "answer engine" that is a "stripped-down version of ChatGPT." The service would be able to quickly provide users with contextual answers to queries. Similar to ChatGPT, the AI would likely be web-based and could also come in an independent app format. The AI would be integrated into Siri, Spotlight and Safari features within Apple devices, Gurman detailed.
Currently, the progress of the project remains unknown, but pundits note that Apple has been notably lagging in AI developments. While the brand has its own Apple Intelligence system that released with the iPhone 16, the rollout was delayed and featured on the phone, which included text generation, photo editing and summarization, were not well implemented, CNET noted.
Meanwhile other companies have pursued several more consistent AI launches. Samsung has partnered with Google, adding Gemini as a major AI productivity tool in addition to its Galaxy AI for creativity. Motorola has collaborated with Perplexity and had its AI tools on the manufacturer’s latest Razr phones. OpenAI has had a longstanding partnership with Microsoft and has included modified versions of its GPTs in the brand’s Copilot productivity suite.
Apple has also since partnered with OpenAI introduce a more seamless AI experience to its platforms and the brand has already integrated ChatGPT into Siri. However, a more advanced AI-powered update is still supposedly in the pipeline, most likely for release in spring 2026, according to Mashable.
Reports from June suggested that Apple was interested in acquiring Perplexity for $14 billion with plans of using it as the base for an AI-powered search engine. If valid, the move could help shift Apple away from its ongoing deal with Google, where it currently pays the search giant $20 billion yearly to have its engine as the default search on Apple products.
Many note that deal could be in jeopardy now that the Department of Justice antitrust division has won its case against Google, having proved the company developed an illegal monopoly in online search. However, if the competition in the search engine space is allowed to thrive there could soon be an AI-powered option from Apple.