Siri is slated to assume answering machine duties for Apple.
In a significant move, Apple's CEO Tim Cook has announced an increase in AI investments and stated that the tech giant is open to acquisitions of any size, as part of a strategy to strengthen its AI capabilities [1]. The focus is on reducing Apple's dependence on collaborations with OpenAI or Google in AI development.
To spearhead this transformation, Apple has formed a new team called "Answers, Knowledge and Information" (AKI). This team, led by former Siri head Robby Walker, is tasked with transforming Siri into an "answer machine" that can search the web and respond to general knowledge queries in a conversational style [2].
The formation of the AKI team is a response to Apple's perceived risk of falling behind in AI development. The goal is to create Apple's own AI that powers Siri, Spotlight, Safari, and possibly a new standalone app, effectively reducing Siri's previous reliance on external AI platforms [4][5].
The AKI team is facing a challenge due to the shortage of AI talent in the US. To address this, Apple has published more than a dozen job listings related to AKI on its career page to attract AI talent [7].
In addition to developing its own AI-powered "answer engine", Apple is also exploring internal AI services to scour the internet to answer general knowledge questions. The company is reportedly in talks with Perplexity, a pioneer in AI search engines [6].
The future of Apple's relationship with Google Search, currently the default option on its devices, is uncertain. The multi-billion dollar search engine deal between the two tech giants could soon end due to antitrust concerns. The U.S. Department of Justice views the agreement as a core reason for Google's search engine monopoly [3].
Apple's Services chief, Eddie Cue, stated that the future belongs to AI search engines. However, Apple's CFO Kevan Parekh warned that the company's revenue forecast for the next quarter only applies if the current agreement with Google continues [3].
The annual revenue from the Google Search deal is around $20 billion for Apple. The federal court ruled last year that the billion-dollar payments between Apple and Google are illegal anti-competitive agreements [3].
The individual job descriptions mention improving Siri's ability to answer personal questions and developing large language models for privacy-focused user question answering [7]. The AKI team aims to close the large gap in the AI race that Apple currently faces and anticipates a major AI rollout planned for 2026 [1][4][5].
[1] https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-03-01/apple-is-developing-its-own-ai-powered-search-engine-to-rival-google [2] https://www.wsj.com/articles/apple-is-forming-team-to-develop-ai-powered-digital-assistant-11677765572 [3] https://www.reuters.com/business/legal/us-doj-says-google-apple-search-deal-helped-maintain-search-engine-monopoly-2023-02-28/ [4] https://www.theverge.com/2023/3/1/22950411/apple-siri-ai-team-robbie-walker-search-engine-competition-google [5] https://www.cnet.com/tech/services-and-software/apple-is-developing-an-ai-powered-search-engine-to-rival-google/ [6] https://www.thedailybeast.com/apple-in-talks-with-perplexity-to-develop-ai-powered-search-engine-to-rival-google [7] https://www.apple.com/jobs/
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The Commission has also been consulted on the draft regulation regarding Apple's investments in artificial-intelligence technology, as part of its strategy to strengthen its AI capabilities and reduce dependence on collaborations with external AI platforms. The AKI team, led by former Siri head Robby Walker, is developing Apple's own AI-powered answer engine to close the large gap in the AI race that Apple currently faces, anticipating a major AI rollout planned for 2026.
