Apple Inc. is preparing to launch its own artificial intelligence-based web search tool next year, intensifying competition with OpenAI and Perplexity AI.
According to common sources, the project is internally called World Knowledge Answers and will be integrated into Siri. Apple has also discussed adding the technology to Safari and Spotlight, which allows searches directly from the iPhone home screen. The new service is expected to debut in the spring as part of a long-awaited upgrade to Siri.
The initiative aims to make Siri a platform where users can search for information across the internet, similar to ChatGPT, Google’s AI Overviews and other emerging applications. The technology will rely on large language models, which form the foundation of generative AI.
The new system could partly use technology from Google, Apple’s long-time partner in internet search. This week, Apple reached an agreement to test a Google-developed AI model to support Siri. The search experience will feature text, photos, video and local information. It will also include an AI summarisation feature designed to provide faster and more accurate results.
Spokespeople for Apple and Google declined to comment.
Apple shares rose sharply after news of the search plans became public, closing 3.8 percent higher at 238.47 dollars in New York, the biggest single-day increase in almost a month.
At present, Siri can answer basic queries about people, events, films and sports but struggles with complex questions. Since its launch in 2011, it has fallen behind competitors in the field of AI.
The announcement coincides with a US court ruling allowing Apple to maintain its arrangement that makes Google the default search engine on its devices, an agreement worth around 20 billion dollars a year. Services chief Eddy Cue told a court earlier this year that Google search queries from Apple devices had declined for the first time in two decades, adding, “We’re starting to see what I believe are potential formidable competitors” in AI-based search.
As part of Siri’s overhaul, the assistant will soon be able to access personal data and on-screen content to complete tasks more effectively. Apple has internally named this technology update Linwood and LLM Siri, which form the basis of the new search functions.
Craig Federighi, Apple’s head of software engineering, recently told staff, “The work we’ve done on this end-to-end revamp of Siri has given us the results we needed. This has put us in a position to not just deliver what we announced, but to deliver a much bigger upgrade than we envisioned.”
Several teams are contributing to the project, including Siri under Federighi, the AI division led by John Giannandrea, and the services unit run by Eddy Cue. Mike Rockwell, known for developing the Vision Pro headset, is playing a central role, alongside Robby Walker, a former Siri chief.
Apple is also exploring the use of third-party models through a project called Glenwood. While the company intends to use its own Foundation Models for user data searches to protect privacy, it is testing Google’s Gemini model for summarisation and may expand its role. Anthropic’s Claude was once considered a frontrunner, but its higher cost reportedly influenced Apple to turn to Google.
Beyond Siri and search, Apple is planning a redesign of the voice assistant and developing a health-focused AI agent for a paid wellness service by 2026. It is also preparing improvements to Siri’s conversational abilities for new home devices.
Apple has been considering acquisitions to strengthen its AI capabilities. The company held talks with Perplexity and Mistral but has shifted focus to building its own product. The Foundation Models team has recently seen significant staff departures, with several experts moving to Meta, OpenAI and Anthropic.
The first version of iOS 26 is due this month alongside the new iPhone 17, but major AI features are expected with iOS 26.4 in March next year.
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