Apple Working On Answer Engine Like ChatGPT

Apple says Artificial intelligence (AI) is apparently being used to fuel an answer engine that it is presently developing internally. The corporation has also established a new team whose job it is to develop this ChatGPT-style answer engine solution, according to the article. It’s interesting to note that the rumoured action follows the Cupertino-based tech giant’s denial that chatbots will be produced by Apple and its downplaying of their importance in its ecosystem. Conversely, the response engine might also be the iPhone manufacturer preparing for a time when its search engine agreement with Google is no longer in place.

In the Power-On email, Mark Gurman of Bloomberg reported that Apple has established a new team called AKI which simply means in acronym Answers, Knowledge, and Information. This division is tasked with creating an internal “ChatGPT-like search experience,” according to the article, which cited anonymous insiders familiar with the initiative.

To clear up any confusion, the phrase “answer engine” was made popular by Perplexity, an AI firm that dubbed its AI-powered web search experience a “answer engine.” In essence, it is a two-part system, with the first one using search queries to retrieve pertinent URLs and information from the web, much like a standard search engine, and the second one using a large language model (LLM) to compile the information and reply in a conversational fashion.

Robby Walker, Apple’s senior director, leads the AKI team, according to Gurman. Walker answers to John Giannandrea, Apple’s senior vice president of Machine Learning and AI Strategy. Walker was appointed to lead the new team in April, according to his LinkedIn profile. According to reports, the team includes a number of people who worked on Siri before.

General-knowledge questions will purportedly be answered by Apple’s version of the answer engine. According to reports, the technology will be included into other Apple services including Safari, Spotlight, and Siri. According to reports, the business is still debating whether to release the technology as a stand-alone app.

With a request for comment, which was not immediately answered by an Apple official. With billions being invested in AI development by firms like Google, Microsoft, OpenAI, and Elon Musk’s xAI, Apple has noticeably lagged behind. Apple chose to collaborate with OpenAI and use its technology rather than racing to develop AI models that could drive the upcoming Siri.

Apple Intelligence, or AI for the iPhone, was launched with the iPhone 16 and this may help with text production, photo editing, and summarisation. However, the deployment was sluggish and many believed that the installation was only partially complete.

Craig Federighi, Apple’s Senior Vice President of Software Engineering, reportedly told The Wall Street Journal in June that the company was not thinking about developing a “bolt-on chatbot” since it did not fit with the tech giant’s goal for AI technology.

Earlier this year, there were rumours that Apple was considering buying Perplexity, an AI startup that is competing with Google by developing a search engine driven by AI. Perplexity would undoubtedly help Apple advance in the AI race if it were added to its portfolio. Additionally, it would reduce its dependence on Google. 

Should Google lose its antitrust action against the US Department of Justice, which centres on the latter’s $20 billion annual agreement with the iPhone manufacturer to continue as the default search engine on Apple devices, this rumoured search engine would also be helpful to Apple.

Although it would ease tensions between Google and the iPhone manufacturer, Apple’s plans to launch a new AI-powered search engine and this could increase competition in the online search and AI marketplaces.