Apple is about to shake up the AI search game in a big way. The company is quietly building "World Knowledge Answers," an AI-powered search engine that will transform Siri from a voice-controlled utility into something that could actually rival ChatGPT and Perplexity. According to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, this isn't just another incremental update - it's Apple's bid to catch up in the AI race they've been losing for years.
The timing is perfect, considering Siri has become the poster child for Apple's AI struggles. When it launched in 2011, Siri was revolutionary. Now? It's that assistant that still can't handle complex queries without punting to Google or ChatGPT. Apple executives know this, which is why they're calling the new system an "answer engine" designed to compete directly with OpenAI's ChatGPT, Google's AI Overviews, and the fast-growing Perplexity platform.
What makes this move particularly interesting is how Apple is approaching the technical challenge. The new Siri will be built around three core components: a planner that interprets your questions, search systems that scan both the web and your personal data, and a summarizer that packages everything into digestible answers. Apple is leaning toward using a custom Google Gemini model for the summarizer, though they're still evaluating Anthropic's Claude for other functions.
This partnership with Google represents a fascinating twist in the companies' relationship. Google already pays Apple roughly $20 billion annually to remain the default search engine on Apple devices, but now they're potentially powering the very system that could challenge traditional search. The collaboration became official this week, with both companies signing a formal agreement for Apple to evaluate and test Google's AI models. It's a strategic move that benefits both sides - Google gets deeper integration into Apple's ecosystem, while Apple gets proven AI technology without starting from scratch.
The user experience promises to be dramatically different from today's Siri. Instead of basic factual responses or web links, the new system will offer AI-powered summaries, support for text, photos, video, and local points of interest, and the ability to handle complex, conversational queries. Apple plans to integrate this initially into Siri, then expand to Safari and Spotlight search, creating a unified AI experience across their ecosystem.
But Apple's AI ambitions faced some serious headwinds recently. Anthropic was initially the frontrunner for powering the new Siri, with internal evaluations showing Claude outperformed Gemini in quality metrics. However, Anthropic's asking price - more than $1.5 billion annually - was too steep for Apple's liking. Google, meanwhile, offered more favorable financial terms, ultimately winning the partnership.
The company is also dealing with a talent exodus that could complicate their AI plans. Ruoming Pang, who created Apple's Foundation Models team, left for a $200+ million package at Meta in July. Since then, roughly ten team members have followed him out the door, with three more key researchers recently jumping to OpenAI and Anthropic. It's the kind of brain drain that could slow down even the most well-funded AI initiatives.
Apple's stock got a nice bump on the news, climbing 3.8% to session highs as investors embraced the search announcement. That's notable timing, coming just one day after a federal judge ruled that Apple could maintain its lucrative search deal with Google with only minor tweaks. The ruling reduces immediate pressure to develop homegrown search alternatives, but Apple is pushing ahead anyway.
The spring 2026 launch timeline puts Apple squarely in competition with an increasingly crowded field. Perplexity has carved out a niche as the AI-native search challenger, while OpenAI's ChatGPT continues expanding its capabilities beyond conversation into real-time web search. Google, meanwhile, is rapidly integrating AI Overviews across its search results. Apple's entry strategy mirrors their historical approach - arrive late but leverage deep hardware integration to capture massive market share.
The broader implications extend beyond just making Siri smarter. Apple is positioning World Knowledge Answers as part of a comprehensive AI strategy that includes deeper personal data integration, improved device navigation, and eventually a health AI agent for a paid wellness service. It's an ambitious roadmap that could finally give Apple a competitive edge in the AI wars.
Whether Apple can execute remains the big question. They've struggled with AI development for years, and losing key talent while racing against well-funded competitors creates additional challenges. But if they nail the implementation, Macworld notes that World Knowledge Answers could transform Siri from a digital joke into a legitimate AI powerhouse. For a company that's built its reputation on being fashionably late to the party but stealing the show, this might be their moment to prove that strategy still works in the AI era.
