If you follow tech news, you already know that artificial intelligence is everywhere now. From seeing chatbots pop up in apps to voice assistants giving us weather updates, AI is quickly becoming part of our daily life. But the world of AI search is heating up, with big names like Google and OpenAI’s ChatGPT racing to grab your attention. Now, it looks like Apple is preparing to enter the game with its very own AI search engine, and it may use Google’s technology to do it. What does this mean for you? Let us break it down in simple words.
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What exactly is Apple cooking?
According to a trusted source, Mark Gurman from Bloomberg, Apple is secretly working on an AI-powered web search tool. The project is being called “World Knowledge Answers” inside the company. Apple wants to launch this new feature in 2026, and it is expected to be built into an upgraded version of Siri, their voice assistant.
The idea is to step up competition against popular AI tools like OpenAI’s ChatGPT, Google’s AI Mode, and Perplexity AI. Apple has tried to improve its AI game before, but after the not-so-great launch of Apple Intelligence last year, the pressure is on to get things right this time.
What is special about this new search engine?
The new Apple AI search tool is being described not just as a search engine but as an “answer engine.” This means that instead of giving you a list of websites when you ask a question, it will give you direct answers. You can ask Siri a question, and instead of hearing “Here are some results from the web,” you might get a clear, simple answer just like ChatGPT gives.
Sources say this new feature will work with text, photos, videos, and even local information like shops and places around you. It will also use a new AI-powered summarization system. This means the results you get will not be long and confusing, but quick and easy to understand.
What does Google have to do in this?
Here is where things get even more interesting. Several insiders say Apple’s new tool may use Google’s own AI technology behind the scenes. The companies have gained a lot from working together in the past, especially with Google being the default search engine in Safari on iPhones and Macs.
There are reports that Apple and Google recently reached a formal agreement, allowing Apple to test a Google-developed AI model to power the new voice assistant features. This could be Google’s Gemini AI model, which is already being explored by Apple for use in Apple Intelligence.
At first, it sounds funny that Apple would use a competitor’s technology, but in tech, this is more common than you think. Apple’s main aim is to give you the best experience. If that means using Google’s top AI for a while, they will do it until their own models catch up.
Will this change the way Siri works for us?
Right now, many people feel that Siri gives slow, unhelpful, or even wrong answers sometimes. With this new “World Knowledge Answers” feature, Siri could become much smarter overnight. You might ask for the capital of a country, how to cook a recipe, or even for recommendations for the nearest coffee shop, and get a direct reply. Instead of having to dig through a list of links, Siri would do the work and tell you exactly what you want to know.
If this really happens, Siri could finally start to catch up with the user-friendly style of ChatGPT and Google. Voice search would become much more conversational, less robotic, and more accurate.
However, Apple has not officially stated anything about the new search engine. Even though Mark Gurman’s reports are usually reliable, things can change behind the scenes, especially when you are a year away from launching a big product. Features might get delayed, changed, or even dropped. But the signals are strong, and the market expects Apple to do something big in AI search soon.
