Apple Developing AI-Powered Web Search for Siri to Compete with OpenAI and Perplexity

Apple Inc. intends to increase rivalry with OpenAI and Perplexity AI Inc. by releasing its own AI-powered web search service the following year. According to a report by Bloomberg, the corporation is developing a new system that will be incorporated into the Siri voice assistant.

This technology is internally referred to as World Knowledge Answers. Apple has also talked of ultimately integrating the technology into Spotlight, which is used to search from the iPhone home screen, and its Safari web browser. The article further reported that Apple plans to launch the service, which some executives have referred to as an “answer engine”, in the spring as part of a long-delayed update to Siri.

World Knowledge Answers: How It Works

Similar to ChatGPT, AI Overviews in Google Search, and a plethora of new apps, the goal is to make Siri and Apple’s operating systems a place where consumers can search the internet for information. Large language models, or LLMs, a crucial piece of technology supporting generative AI, will be the foundation of the strategy.

Alphabet Inc.’s Google, Apple’s longstanding internet search partner, may contribute some of the underlying technology that makes the new Siri possible. According to the report, the businesses formally agreed this week for Apple to assess and test an AI model created by Google to support the voice assistant.

Apple’s new search experience would feature an interface that utilises text, images, videos, and nearby points of interest. Additionally, compared to the present Siri, it will have an AI-powered summarisation mechanism that will make results easier to understand and more accurate.

Current Phase of Siri

Among other things, today’s Siri can respond to simple queries and offer information about famous people, occasions, films, and sports. However, it has trouble with more complicated enquiries and general knowledge searches, frequently returning results from ChatGPT or Google.

The voice assistant, which was revolutionary when it was first introduced in 2011, has come to symbolise Apple’s artificial intelligence shortcomings. In order to better answer questions, the digital assistant will be able to access personal information and on-screen content as part of the long-awaited Siri update. Additionally, it will include improved voice navigation capabilities for consumers’ devices.

How Apple Plans to Compete with OpenAI and Perplexity?

Apple is now aiming to advance the update. The AI search capability is based on a technological update for Siri called Linwood and LLM Siri. The Siri group, directed by Craig Federighi, Apple’s head of software engineering; the AI division, led by John Giannandrea; and Apple’s services business, overseen by Eddy Cue, are among the team members working on the search endeavour. Under Federighi, Mike Rockwell, the man behind the Vision Pro headset, is leading the endeavour, while under Giannandrea, Robby Walker, a former Siri executive, is a major force behind the initiative.