Apple is presently trailing in the AI arena, whereas firms like Google have embraced AI search innovations. The development of AI-driven tools that constitute the foundation of Apple Intelligence has been sluggish for Apple. Nevertheless, as per Mark Gurman’s latest Power On Newsletter, this situation might soon shift.

Apple has been discreetly forming an “Answers, Knowledge, and Information” team, referred to as AKI, under the leadership of Robby Walker, a senior director who answers to John Giannandrea, Apple’s senior VP of Machine Learning and AI. Walker became part of the AKI team after setbacks in the advancement of Siri features.

According to Gurman, the team’s straightforward aim is to develop a “new ChatGPT-like search experience.” While the project is still nascent, Apple has already begun advertising for engineers. The team is working on a system designed to crawl search results and deliver answers directly, rather than sending users to search results pages. This “answer engine” would compile data from the internet and provide responses to inquiries similarly to ChatGPT.

There may be plans for a standalone application and backend infrastructure. A job posting highlights the development of search algorithms and engines, indicating that Apple may be focused on search engine technology.

This advancement could enhance Apple Intelligence. The reception to Apple’s AI offerings has been lukewarm, and despite Apple’s efforts to adopt AI more assertively within its operating systems, the outcomes have not met expectations thus far.

An upgrade for Siri’s AI is anticipated in spring 2026, and the output from AKI may be incorporated into Siri and other Apple products if completed promptly.