Apple and Google Team Up on AI Search to Challenge OpenAI

▼ Summary
– Apple is developing an AI search tool called World Knowledge Answers, integrated with Siri, to provide web information via summaries.
– The tool will support text, photo, video, and local interest searches and be accessible through Siri, Safari, and Spotlight.
– Apple is collaborating with Google, testing Gemini AI for Siri, despite legal restrictions on exclusive search deals.
– Siri is being rebuilt using third-party AI models like Gemini and Claude to compete with advanced assistants like ChatGPT.
– The new AI-powered Siri may debut later, with a potential preview at Apple’s upcoming September event.
With the next Apple event approaching, industry insiders are buzzing about a potential game-changer in artificial intelligence search. Apple is reportedly developing an AI-powered answer engine, internally referred to as World Knowledge Answers, which aims to transform how users interact with information across its ecosystem. This tool will integrate deeply with Siri, Safari, and Spotlight, allowing searches using text, images, videos, and local points of interest, all summarized through advanced language models.
Rather than relying solely on in-house development, Apple has turned to Google’s Gemini AI model to enhance Siri’s capabilities. This partnership is particularly noteworthy given recent legal restrictions on exclusive search agreements between the two tech giants. While Apple has also tested models from Anthropic and its own internal systems, the high cost associated with third-party options may have influenced the decision to collaborate with Google.
The current version of Siri has often been criticized for lagging behind modern AI assistants like ChatGPT, which offer more dynamic and context-aware interactions. Apple’s planned overhaul aims to close that gap by incorporating large language models for richer, more conversational responses. The upgraded Siri will leverage external AI systems running on Apple’s servers to process and summarize information, marking a significant shift from its existing architecture.
Though a full public rollout is still some time away, Apple may offer a preview of the new Siri during its September event. This initiative represents a major step in Apple’s broader AI strategy, aligning with the introduction of Apple Intelligence and positioning the company to compete more directly with leaders in the AI search space.
(Source: Mashable)