Apple has created a new internal group, formally called Answers, Knowledge and Information, to build a lightweight “answer engine” that would compete with OpenAI’s ChatGPT, according to reporting by Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman. Led by senior director Robby Walker under AI chief John Giannandrea, the team is hiring specialists in search algorithms with a mandate to deliver web-sourced responses that can be surfaced through a standalone app or embedded in Siri, Safari and Spotlight. The initiative signals a strategic pivot for Apple, which only last year chose to embed ChatGPT in Siri rather than develop its own chatbot. In recent staff meetings Chief Executive Officer Tim Cook said the company “must win in AI,” underscoring urgency as Microsoft pushes Copilot and Google expands Gemini. Building an in-house engine could reduce Apple’s reliance on Google’s default-search deal while addressing long-standing criticism of Siri’s capabilities. The effort comes amid field tests of an iPhone 17 Pro and a talent battle that has seen several Apple AI researchers depart for Meta.