Apple has quietly assembled a new team known as Answers, Knowledge and Information (AKI)—led by Siri veteran Robby Walker and reporting to AI chief John Giannandrea—tasked with building a proprietary ChatGPT‑like answer engine. This system aims to power conversational search experiences across Siri, Spotlight, and Safari, reducing Apple’s dependence on Google for default search.
🔧 Feature Scope & Strategic Goals
- Integration: The answer engine is intended to make its way into Siri, Safari, Spotlight, or potentially as a standalone app, offering users natural‑language responses to general knowledge questions.
- Hiring Surge: Apple is actively hiring engineers with expertise in search algorithms, LLM development, and conversational AI to staff the AKI team.Business Today
✅ Why It Matters
- Less Dependence on Google: Apple is working to shift away from Google’s search integration, which currently brings over $20 billion annually to Apple from default search arrangements in Safari.
- Competitive Pressure: With partners like Perplexity AI, OpenAI, and Anthropic under consideration as AI search providers, Apple may eventually choose to develop its own solution to retain full control over privacy and functionality.
📅 Timeline & Broader AI Strategy
- Early-stage development: Bloomberg reports that the AKI initiative is in its infancy, and Apple may still decide not to launch it.
- AI investment ramp-up: As part of its broader AI push, Apple CEO Tim Cook revealed plans to significantly increase investment in “Apple Intelligence” and pursue acquisitions including Perplexity AI, while preparing for a Siri overhaul in 2026
📊 At‑a‑Glance Summary
| Topic | Details |
|---|---|
| New Team | AKI — Answers, Knowledge & Information |
| Leadership | Robby Walker (Siri veteran) → John Giannandrea (AI Chief) |
| Core Objective | Build ChatGPT-like search/answer engine internally |
| Integration Plan | Siri, Spotlight, Safari; possibly standalone app |
| Competitive Context | Reduce dependence on Google; explore in-house AI search capabilities |
| Strategic Drivers | AI talent acquisition, privacy-first design, platform differentiation |
🌍 Broader Implications
If successful, Apple’s in-house answer engine could mark a turning point in digital search power, challenging Google’s dominance and allowing Apple to set its own path in AI-driven user interfaces. However, execution risk remains high due to Apple’s historic caution and internal skepticism around chatbot-style interactions.
🔎 Final Thoughts
Apple’s creation of the AKI team and investment in its own AI answer engine reflects an overdue strategic shift. It signals a move from AI-lite offerings towards a more proactive generative AI strategy—one that prioritizes conversational knowledge retrieval, tighter Siri integration, and greater privacy control. The timing ahead of the iPhone 17 launch underscores Apple’s ambition to reset expectations around AI on iOS devices.Business Today
