[LOS ANGELES] Apple plans to launch its own AI-powered web search tool next year, bolstering the competition between Openai and Prperxity AI.
According to sources with knowledge of the issue, the company is working on a new system internally called global knowledge answers so that global knowledge is integrated into SIRI's voice assistant. Apple ultimately discussed adding technology to the Safari web browser and Spotlight. This is used to search from the iPhone home screen.
Apple aims to release a service that some executives describe as “Answer Engine.” In the spring, the sources asked not to be identified as part of a long-term overhaul of Siri because plans have not been announced, said.
The idea is to make Siri and Apple's operating systems a place where users can look up information from across the Internet. In a similar way to ChatGPT, Google Search AI overview, cropping new apps. This approach relies on large-scale language models, or LLMS, which are key technologies that underpin generation AI.
The underlying technology that enables new Siri may be Internet search partners, a longtime partner of Apple, the Google of Alphabet. The company reached a formal agreement this week to help Apple evaluate and test the AI model developed by Google to promote voice assistants, sources said.
Apple's new search experience includes an interface that utilizes text, photos, videos and local interests, according to sources. It also offers an AI-powered summary system designed to digest faster and more accurate than what SIRI offers today.
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A spokesmouth for Cupertino, California-based Apple and Mountain View, California-based Google declined to comment.
Apple's stock rose to its highest session on Wednesday after Bloomberg News reported on its search plans and added to previous profits. The stock rose 3.8% to US$238.47 at the end of New York, marking its biggest daily increase in almost a month.
Today Siri can answer basic questions and provide facts about famous people, events, movies, sports and more. However, it struggles with more complex queries and general knowledge searches, and often provides Google or ChatGPT results instead. When it was released in 2011, the groundbreaking voice assistant came to represent Apple's shortage in AI.
The latest development will involve minor adjustments in the same week that a US judge determined that Apple could maintain an arrangement that would make Google the device's default search engine. The deal generates around US$20 billion in revenue per year for Apple, and investors have confirmed that it is continuing. However, the pivot towards AI-based search continues to move.
Earlier this year, the company's services chief Eddy Cue told the court that the number of Google search queries from Apple devices has declined. “It's not happening in 20 years,” he said. “We're beginning to show traditional search engines what I believe is a potential formidable competitor,” he adds, referring to AI-based options.
Still, the ruling to preserve Apple's Google search agreement on Tuesday could mean that the company is less urgent to develop its own country's services.
Siri Overhaul
As part of a long-standing Siri Revamp, digital assistants can leverage personal data and on-screen content to better fulfill queries. It also allows you to more accurately navigate your device via voice. But now, Apple is trying to take the update further. The Siri technology overhaul, known as Linwood and LLM Siri, lays the foundation for AI search capabilities.
Craig Federighi, Apple's Head of Software Engineering and overseeing the SIRI strategy, suggested a series of changes sets that have been expanded in all recent hand meetings with employees.
“The work we did with this end-to-end revamp at Siri gave us the results we needed,” he said. “This puts us in a position to not only provide what we announced, but also offer much larger upgrades than we had envisioned.”
Many teams are working on search initiatives, including the AI division led by John Giannandrea and Federighi's SIRI Group, which leads Apple's services unit run by CUE. While Mike Rockwell, creator of Vision Pro Headset, leads the efforts under Federighi, former Siri chief Robby Walker is a key driver for the project under Giannandrea.
Apple aims to use a similar underlying search system for both the world's knowledge capabilities and the ability to search more accurately for users' devices, which have already been announced but delayed – already-announced. The tool should allow people to find specific images, files, and other types of information more quickly.
While Apple primarily aims to incorporate new search systems into existing features, it is also weighing the idea of building apps like chatbots for search. Last month, Bloomberg reported that Apple is hiring new answers, knowledge, information, or Aki's team that are contributing to the search work.
The new SIRI and search changes are currently scheduled for an upcoming software update known as Luck E, which is compatible with iOS 26.4, which is scheduled to be released as early as March.
The early version of iOS 26 will be rolled out this month as part of the launch of Apple's flagship new iPhone. The company is scheduled to announce its iPhone 17 lineup next Tuesday.
Gemini and Humanity
Apple is rebuilding Siri around three core components: planner, web and device search system, and summaries. The planner interprets and determines how to respond to audio or text input. The search system scans the web or user data. And the summary draws it all into the answer.
With a massive shift, Apple is considering powering the new Siri at least in part with third-party AI models through a project called Glenwood. The current version of Siri runs fully on Apple technology.
Apple has recently been leaning towards using a Google Gemini model custom built on the Summaryzer, sources said. Runs on Apple's own private cloud computing server. The search engine giant has already delivered technology to Apple, and the two companies are currently collaborating on tweaks and testing.
Apple is also considering using Google models for its Planner functionality, but continues to assess humanity's reliance on Claude or internal models of PBC. Apple and Google have not ultimately ruled out using the Gemini model to handle additional AI and search-related features.
Currently, iPhone makers will retain their own technology called Apple Foundation Models to search for user data. Customer information is not processed by third-party technology, so it should help the company maintain user privacy.
Google was not initially at the forefront of the SIRI project. Humanity has previously been on the lead in trading, and Apple's internal ratings show that Claude was ahead of Gemini in terms of quality.
However, humanity demanded high prices to use more than US$1.5 billion a year to use its technology, and Google was open to more favorable financial conditions, according to sources. As Bloomberg reported last month, Apple asked Google to create a model for Power Siri.
It's not the first time Apple and Google have been in discussions on AI-related transactions. Last year, Apple approached Google about integrating Gemini chatbots with Siri, but instead partnered with Openai. The companies have publicly said they are still working towards an agreement, but the feature has not yet been introduced to consumers.
New look
Beyond the SIRI and AI search upgrades for the first half of next year, Apple plans to visually redesign its voice assistants and health AI agents in 2026 to enhance its paid wellness subscription services. We are also working on additional SIRI updates that will bring powerful conversational capabilities to your home devices in the future.
This is all part of the AI comeback plan that the company struggled to keep pace with its Silicon Valley rivals. After the new Siri was delayed in the past spring, Apple shook executives and launched a conversion bid. However, the process takes time. When Apple unveils the iPhone 17 next week, there is no hope of introducing major new AI features.
Acquisition Strategy
During the development of the new Siri, Adrian Perica, chief of Queue and Merger and Acquisition, considered a series of possible acquisitions. The company discussed the confusion and the purchase of Mistral, Bloomberg reported first. Apple executives recently met with French AI startup Mistral in July.
Apple has seriously evaluated Perplexity's technology over the summer, but is no longer actively bidding. Instead, their own new search products compete with startup offerings. Apple is looking for deals, particularly to replenish talent.
The company is dealing with a wave of attrition. Apple's foundation model team, a group of dozens of academics, researchers and engineers, has been bleeding employees for weeks.
At the beginning of July, department creator and chief Ruoming Pang won a pay package of over USD 200 million on the meta platform. Since then, around 10 members of the team have left, with most people following the social networking giants.
Three more major AI researchers left last week. John Peebles and Nandu start out in an open position, while Menzao is heading towards humanity. More team members are actively interviewing for other jobs. Bloomberg
