After months of back and forth with its artificial intelligence strategy, Apple has revived its plan to make Siri a real alternative to ChatGPT.The company has reorganized teams, accelerated hiring, and focused on creating a conversational experience that doesn't rely on third parties and is better integrated across its devices.
The initiative is gaining traction with a newly formed internal group and a clear objective: Provide helpful answers, stay up-to-date with information from the web, and maintain the privacy seal that characterizes the Apple ecosystem. It won't be an immediate move, but it marks a shift away from reliance on external solutions.
What has changed in Apple's strategy
Sources close to the company indicate that management has decided reinvest strongly in AI capabilities applied to Siri, after several delays. The goal is to equip the assistant with functions that we currently associate with conversational models such as ChatGPT or Gemini, with more natural and contextually useful behavior.
To this end, Apple has created the AKI (Answers, Knowledge and Information) team, responsible for polish the quality of the answers, strengthen knowledge and improve information retrieval. The development of a Own LLM for the assistant, as well as a conversational search experience that integrates seamlessly into the system.
Becoming independent from OpenAI is a short-term priority.
In the transition to Apple Intelligence, the company came to rely on OpenAI technology to improve responses in certain scenarios. Now the bet is different: to build a chatbot internally capable of consult the web and respond accurately, with a view to integrating it into Siri, Spotlight, and Safari. A standalone app is also not ruled out if the experience warrants it.
The project is led by Robby Walker, former head of Siri, and has resulted in job offers focused on search engines and algorithmsThe reading is clear: Apple wants to balance information retrieval with fluid conversation, avoiding reliance on third parties for the core of its assistant.
Rhythm, deadlines and the option of strategic purchases
The deadlines have been the Achilles heel of the plan. After failed estimates in the past, the most realistic scenarios suggest that The big news could appear in 2026, with no firm guarantees at this time. Still, work is progressing, and the product approach is becoming more established.
In addition, management has left the door open to acquisitions that accelerate the scheduleAmong the options considered by the industry are companies specializing in AI search, such as Perplexity, and third-party models such as Anthropic, with the intention of strengthening capabilities and shortening timeframes if necessary.
How it would fit with current Siri and Apple Intelligence
Currently, Apple Intelligence offers useful features—such as summaries, translations or content generation—, but its approach to chatbots remains discreet and limited to specific responses. The big improvement would be to integrate a conversational model that maintain context and retrieve information in real time reliably.
This progress requires balancing privacy and powerThe creation of the AKI team indicates that Apple is seeking a balance between improving the assistant's utility and maintaining data control and security as differentiating elements compared to other platforms.
Competition is accelerating and Apple doesn't want to be left behind.
The market moves quickly with OpenAI, Google and Meta Setting the trend. In this context, Apple is looking to regain ground: internal voices consider the delays unacceptable and are pushing for faster execution. The company is confident in its ability to launch a solution. polished, although the margin for waiting has narrowed.
Cupertino's plan focuses on three main fronts: a dedicated team (AKI) with clear leadership, investment in search and own models, and flexibility to acquire technology if this achieves a Siri more competitive against ChatGPTThe roadmap is still under development, but the course has already been defined.