Apple is making waves under the radar. Quietly, but with unmistakable intent, the tech giant is assembling a specialized team — aptly codenamed Answers, Knowledge, and Information (AKI) — with one ambitious mission: to develop an in-house AI “answer engine” that might finally make Apple a formidable player in the AI-powered search arena.
The Silent Shift: Why Apple is Reinventing Itself in AI Search
For years, Apple has lagged behind rivals like OpenAI, Google, and Microsoft when it comes to conversational AI and generative search. Siri, once the poster child of voice-controlled convenience, has struggled to keep pace, often outsourcing queries to Google or, more recently, OpenAI’s ChatGPT. This reliance on third parties left Apple potentially vulnerable — especially as U.S. antitrust pressure mounts against lucrative partnerships like its $20 billion deal making Google the default search engine on Apple devices.
Recognizing the tectonic shift to AI-powered information discovery, Apple executives, including CEO Tim Cook, have emphasized in all-hands meetings that the company “must do this” to remain competitive. With traditional search declining and user behaviors changing rapidly—as people are turning to AI-driven answers—Apple cannot afford to be a spectator any longer.
What is the AKI Team Building?
Led by Siri veteran Robby Walker and reporting to Apple’s AI chief John Giannandrea, the AKI group is focused on developing a proprietary answer engine that can instantly pull concise responses from across the web. Their goal? To offer general knowledge answers and conversational search rivaling ChatGPT and Google Gemini, right from the core of Apple’s ecosystem — Siri, Spotlight, Safari, and possibly a standalone app.
But this isn’t just about catching up. Apple is rethinking search from the ground up, hiring machine learning and search algorithm engineers to overhaul both the front- and back-end infrastructure for natural-language queries and context-aware results. Imagine asking Siri something and finally getting a direct, helpful answer — no more handoffs to Google or having to type. That’s the experience Apple is aiming for.
Why the Sudden Urgency?
Two powerful forces are at play:
External Pressures:
The antitrust spotlight on Apple’s default Google search deal could chop billions from Apple’s annual revenues if regulators force a breakup or change the terms. Simultaneously, Apple faces criticism for resting on its laurels while ChatGPT and other AI rivals surge ahead with more advanced, responsive assistants.Internal Hesitation Gives Way to Bold Action:
Until very recently, Apple dismissed the idea of launching its own chatbot and downplayed consumer interest in ChatGPT-style tools. That changed abruptly in 2025, as executives realized conversational AI had gone mainstream. CEO Tim Cook now openly compares the AI revolution to the birth of the internet and smartphones, signaling Apple’s late but aggressive entry into the space with maximal stakes.
From OpenAI Partnerships to Apple-First AI
Initially, Apple’s approach was a patchwork: integrate OpenAI’s ChatGPT with Siri and call it a day. But as Siri upgrades slipped behind schedule (with the most advanced features now delayed until spring 2026), it became clear this strategy was too limited — and risky if Google or OpenAI pulled support. The new direction means owning the search experience end-to-end, from crawling the web to delivering personalized, context-rich answers, all powered by Apple’s technology.
Laying the Foundation for the Future
While it’s early days, the AKI team’s job postings and gathering of elite AI talent signal Apple’s intent not to just compete, but to shape the next era of search. Their focus: making information retrieval on Apple devices smarter, more intuitive, and more private.
If successful, Apple’s answer engine might do for generative search what the original iPhone did for mobile — turn a late start into industry leadership, not by being first, but by defining what’s next.
Apple’s late entry may prove to be its boldest. With the AKI team at the helm, the future of AI-powered answers on your Apple device could be just around the corner — and much smarter than before.
