Apple Building In-House ChatGPT-Style Answer Engine To Power Siri And Safari Upgrades? What We Know

Apple is reportedly developing an artificial intelligence (AI) engine that could rival ChatGPT. As per Bloomberg, the tech giant has formed a team called Answers, Knowledge and Information (AKI), tasked with building a new type of “answer engine” that can mine information from the internet and deliver responses to users' general knowledge queries.

This initiative could pave the way for a major leap in Apple's AI capabilities, either through a standalone application or by upgrading features in Siri, Safari and Spotlight.

The project remains in early stages, but it highlights Apple's focus on building in-house AI systems. The AKI team is said to be creating new backend infrastructure to support this answer engine across multiple Apple platforms.

A ChatGPT-Like Tool

Though Apple integrated OpenAI's ChatGPT into Siri earlier this year, the company appears to be working towards a more native, tightly controlled experience. The new answer engine is expected to be less flashy and more “Apple-like” in its execution, reported Bloomberg.

The report added, “A finished product may still be far off, but the direction is now unmistakable: Something akin to a stripped-down, Apple-built approach to ChatGPT-like search is coming.”

Hiring Signals

Apple's recruitment efforts suggest the company is aggressively hiring for the AKI team. According to Bloomberg, job listings on Apple's careers page mention, “Our work fuels intuitive information experiences across some of Apple's most iconic products, including Siri, Spotlight, Safari, Messages, Lookup, and more. Join us in shaping the future of how the world connects with information!”

Reportedly, many job descriptions specifically call for experience in search algorithms and engine development, indicating a strong emphasis on creating a strong AI-powered search infrastructure. This would potentially allow Apple to become less dependent on external services such as Google Search or ChatGPT.

Apple Intelligence Doesn't Offer AI Search Capabilities

At present, Apple Intelligence does not include any search functionality. The system is primarily designed to summarise notifications, rewrite text, create Genmoji images and improve photos. In the near future, it will also support message and call translation. But it still falls short of offering the kind of conversational, AI-driven search experience seen in platforms like ChatGPT or Google's Gemini.

With the AKI team's work reportedly in motion, Apple could be laying the foundation for a more personalised and intelligent future across its ecosystem, one where it controls the entire AI experience from start to finish.