Apple Assembles New Team to Develop Search Engine Similar to ChatGPT

Apple is assembling a new internal team focused on developing an AI-driven search engine akin to ChatGPT, signaling a strategic shift from its previous reliance on Google for search capabilities. This initiative, led by a division called "Answers, Knowledge & Information" (AKI), aims to create a system capable of scanning the web and providing direct answers to general knowledge questions, similar to OpenAI's breakthrough models.

Insiders suggest this technology could either become a standalone product or integrate with existing Apple services like Siri, Spotlight, and Safari. While competitors like Google (with its AI-powered Search Generative Experience) and Microsoft (via Copilot integration in Bing) have already made significant progress in this space, Apple's entry appears somewhat delayed.

This development comes as external scrutiny intensifies regarding Apple's dependence on Google. The tech giant currently pays Google approximately $2 billion annually to maintain Google as the default search engine on iPhones and other devices. By building its own search infrastructure, Apple could reduce reliance on Google's ad revenue share and potentially introduce alternative monetization strategies emphasizing subscriptions, privacy, or premium access to deeper web results. Privacy could also serve as a key differentiator, though speculative at this stage.

While Apple has integrated ChatGPT into Siri through its partnership with OpenAI, the experience remains limited. Users frequently get redirected to Google for basic queries due to the system's shortcomings compared to modern AI standards. Apple's current AI platform, Apple Intelligence, has prioritized task assistance like text summarization, email rewriting, and Genmoji generation, but has yet to deliver conversational search capabilities now considered standard in AI domains.

Internal discussions reveal growing tensions within Apple. While some executives remain cautious about over-reliance on AI-driven search, figures like Services VP Eddie Cue are actively advocating for development. The AKI team is led by Robbie Walker, former Siri senior director who transitioned after engineering delays, bringing key engineers to build the "answer engine" described in internal documents.

Success could grant Apple greater control over information presentation across devices while reducing dependency on Google's search infrastructure. Recent job postings highlight the project's scale, with Apple seeking engineers specialized in search algorithms, indexing, and engine design.