Latest news with #RobbyWalker
Hans India
5 days ago
- Business
- Hans India
Apple Quietly Builds ChatGPT Rival with 'Answer Engine' for iPhone Users
Apple is stepping deeper into the AI landscape with a major move to develop its own ChatGPT-style bot, designed to power iPhone support and expand its intelligence offerings. According to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, the company has assembled a new internal group called the 'Answers, Knowledge and Information' team—AKI for short—tasked with creating an "answer engine" capable of scanning the internet and responding to general-knowledge questions. While tech rivals like OpenAI and Google have surged ahead in the generative AI space, Apple has taken a slower, more calculated approach. Until now, the company had avoided launching a standalone chatbot, instead opting for a partnership with OpenAI to embed ChatGPT into Siri. But this latest development marks a significant pivot. With AKI, Apple is no longer sitting on the sidelines—it's preparing to redefine how users interact with AI on its devices. The AKI team is led by senior director Robby Walker and reports directly to Apple's AI chief, John Giannandrea. It is exploring not only a potential new app but also the backend infrastructure that would supercharge existing Apple services like Siri, Spotlight, and Safari. To support this transformation, Apple has ramped up hiring of engineers experienced in search technologies—suggesting ambitions far beyond simple AI enhancements. CEO Tim Cook's commitment to AI is now front and center. In a rare all-hands meeting last week, he told Apple employees, 'We must do this,' highlighting the scale of the AI revolution. Cook likened the current AI wave to historical tech shifts like the birth of the internet, smartphones, and cloud computing. 'There was a PC before the Mac. There was a smartphone before the iPhone. This is how I feel about AI,' he said, signaling Apple's intent to disrupt yet another market. Initially, Apple considered a hybrid architecture that combined Siri's existing functionality with large language models (LLMs), but this approach didn't meet internal expectations. Apple's software head Craig Federighi acknowledged that it 'wasn't going to get us to Apple quality.' As a result, the company is now rebuilding Siri from the ground up. The overhaul is being led by Mike Rockwell—the engineering mind behind the Vision Pro headset—with a revamped Siri reportedly planned for release in spring 2026. Apple also faces mounting pressure on multiple fronts. The company's $20 billion agreement with Google to make it the default search engine on iPhones is under antitrust scrutiny. Moreover, Apple Intelligence—its new suite of AI tools—still lacks the conversational capabilities seen in platforms like OpenAI's ChatGPT and Google's Gemini. Developing an in-house answer engine offers Apple not only technical control but also strategic independence. Whether it debuts as a standalone tool or quietly integrates into Siri and Safari, this initiative reflects Apple's decision to stop relying on external players for AI innovation. With the formation of the AKI team and a fresh AI-first mindset, Apple seems ready to define the next chapter in consumer AI—on its own terms.
Time of India
5 days ago
- Business
- Time of India
Apple's AI plans are taking shape, quietly but definitely
Looks like Apple's finally stepping into the AI ring and in true Apple style. It's doing it with quiet precision and just enough mystery to make you wonder if this was the plan all along. As per Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, the company has put together a new internal team called 'AKI' (Answers, Knowledge and Information). Their mission? Build an 'answer engine' that can scan the web and respond to general-knowledge queries. Basically, this could be Apple's most direct move yet to take on ChatGPT and Google the longest time, Apple's been tiptoeing around the chatbot gold rush. When it first revealed its AI plans last year, the company made one thing very clear: it wasn't building its own ChatGPT rival. Instead, it partnered with OpenAI to bake ChatGPT into Siri a clever move, but also one that felt like Apple was testing the waters rather than diving top software and marketing heads reportedly weren't even sure if users wanted chatbots to begin with. But while Apple played the waiting game, the rest of the world jumped in headfirst using generative AI for everything from school assignments to internet searches and Excel hacks. That shift in consumer behaviour seems to have finally nudged Apple off the AKI short for Answers, Knowledge and Information Apple's newly assembled team led by senior director Robby Walker, under AI chief John Giannandrea. They're now reportedly working on both a standalone app and the backend tech needed to supercharge Siri, Spotlight, and Safari. Apple's also started hiring search engine engineers, hinting that this is much more than just a Siri glow-up. It's Apple laying the groundwork for its own generative AI ecosystem With the AKI team now in place, Apple's finally making its most direct move to reclaim the AI narrative. Whether this 'answer engine' shows up as a shiny new app or works quietly behind the scenes in Siri or Safari, one thing's obvious Apple's done watching from the sidelines. And if history is any indicator, it might be showing up late, but it rarely shows up unprepared.
India Today
5 days ago
- Business
- India Today
After Tim Cook's big AI push, Apple tests ChatGPT-like bot for iPhone support
Apple is finally rolling up its sleeves in the AI arms race, and it's doing so in classic Apple fashion: quietly, strategically, and just late enough to make people wonder if it's been plotting this all along. According to a new report by Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, Apple has formed a new internal team known as 'Answers, Knowledge and Information', AKI for short, which is building what it calls an 'answer engine' capable of scanning the web and responding to general-knowledge questions. In other words, it's Apple's clearest shot yet at creating a serious rival to ChatGPT and Google's company has, until now, danced around the chatbot boom. When it unveiled its AI ambitions last year, Apple made it clear that there would be no in-house ChatGPT clone. Instead, it struck a high-profile partnership with OpenAI to integrate ChatGPT into Siri. Behind closed doors, Apple's top software and marketing executives reportedly debated whether consumers even wanted chatbots in the first place. However, while Apple sat on the fence, the rest of the world ran ahead, and millions now use generative AI for everything from homework help and spreadsheet summaries to basic internet searches. That groundswell of adoption appears to have pushed Apple to change with AKI, Apple is embracing the idea that it can't afford to miss this wave. The team, led by senior director Robby Walker and reporting to Apple AI chief John Giannandrea, is said to be exploring both a new standalone app and the backend infrastructure needed to upgrade core experiences like Siri, Spotlight, and Safari. Apple has started actively hiring engineers with search engine experience — a sign that it's laying the foundation for something much bigger than a Siri refresh. CEO Tim Cook appears fully invested in the shift. At a rare all-hands meeting last week, Cook reportedly told employees, 'We must do this' and promised to make the investment required to do it right. He framed the AI revolution as being 'as big or bigger' than the internet, smartphones, or cloud computing, and drew comparisons to Apple's history of entering markets late but redefining them. 'There was a PC before the Mac,' he told staff. 'There was a smartphone before the iPhone. This is how I feel about AI.'Internally, there's been recognition that Siri in its current form isn't up to the task. Apple's original plan was to create a hybrid architecture, blending its existing Siri tech with new large language models, but that approach has since been scrapped. Software head Craig Federighi admitted that the hybrid strategy 'wasn't going to get us to Apple quality,' and so Apple has opted to rebuild Siri's foundation entirely. That reboot is now being led by Mike Rockwell, the engineer behind the Vision Pro headset, with a revamped Siri targeted for launch in spring Apple faces pressure on other fronts. Its $20 billion-a-year deal with Google to remain the default search engine on iPhones is being scrutinised by antitrust regulators and could be under threat. At the same time, Apple Intelligence, the company's new suite of AI features, still lacks the conversational search abilities already available through OpenAI and Google. Building its answer engine may help Apple avoid over-reliance on external players and give it the flexibility to innovate on its formation of the AKI team marks the most concrete step yet in Apple's attempt to take back control of the AI experience. Whether it rolls out as an independent product or lives quietly in the background of Siri and Safari, one thing is clear: Apple has decided it's no longer content to let others define what AI should be. And if the company's past is anything to go by, it might be late, but it's rarely unprepared.- Ends
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Apple Forms In-House AI Chatbot Team to Rival ChatGPT
Apple (AAPL, Financials) assembled a dedicated team to develop an in-house AI chatbot, Bloomberg reported Sunday. The Answers, Knowledge and Information unit, formed earlier this year, is working on a stripped-down ChatGPT-like model that could power a standalone app and enhance Siri, Spotlight and Safari search functions. The company's pivot marks a change from its 2024 decision to integrate OpenAI's technology into Siri rather than build its own. Bloomberg said the group is led by Robby Walker, former Siri chief, and is hiring engineers with search algorithm and engine development expertise. Apple's AI push follows delays to its upgraded Siri rollout, now expected in the coming year. On its third-quarter earnings call, CEO Tim Cook said Apple is open to acquisitions to accelerate its AI roadmap. The company's not first, but best approach underscores its strategy to enter the AI race on its own terms; however, competitive pressure from Microsoft, Google and OpenAI is intensifying. Investors will watch for product announcements tied to Apple Intelligence and the company's broader AI ecosystem. This article first appeared on GuruFocus. Error al recuperar los datos Inicia sesión para acceder a tu cartera de valores Error al recuperar los datos Error al recuperar los datos Error al recuperar los datos Error al recuperar los datos
Yahoo
7 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Apple Forms In-House AI Chatbot Team to Rival ChatGPT
Apple (AAPL, Financials) assembled a dedicated team to develop an in-house AI chatbot, Bloomberg reported Sunday. The Answers, Knowledge and Information unit, formed earlier this year, is working on a stripped-down ChatGPT-like model that could power a standalone app and enhance Siri, Spotlight and Safari search functions. The company's pivot marks a change from its 2024 decision to integrate OpenAI's technology into Siri rather than build its own. Bloomberg said the group is led by Robby Walker, former Siri chief, and is hiring engineers with search algorithm and engine development expertise. Apple's AI push follows delays to its upgraded Siri rollout, now expected in the coming year. On its third-quarter earnings call, CEO Tim Cook said Apple is open to acquisitions to accelerate its AI roadmap. The company's not first, but best approach underscores its strategy to enter the AI race on its own terms; however, competitive pressure from Microsoft, Google and OpenAI is intensifying. Investors will watch for product announcements tied to Apple Intelligence and the company's broader AI ecosystem. This article first appeared on GuruFocus. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
