Apple to Launch AI-Powered Search Engine for Siri, May Use Google's Gemini [Report]

Apple is reportedly developing its own AI-powered web search tool to be integrated into Siri, according to a new report from Bloomberg. The new system, internally dubbed "World Knowledge Answers," is part of a major Siri overhaul planned for next year and could be powered in part by Google's Gemini AI.

The new search tool is described as an "answer engine" that would allow Siri to look up information from across the internet in a manner similar to ChatGPT. According to people with knowledge of the matter, Apple is aiming to release the service next spring as part of an iOS 26.4 software update. The technology is also being discussed for eventual integration into Safari and Spotlight.

The report also claims Apple has reached a formal agreement this week to evaluate and test a custom Google-developed Gemini model to help power the revamped Siri. This builds on earlier reports that Apple was in talks with Google after facing setbacks with its in-house AI development.


According to the people, Apple is considering using Google's Gemini model for the summarizer and planner functions of the new Siri, while retaining its own Apple Foundation Models for searching user data on-device to protect privacy. While Google was reportedly not the initial frontrunner, favorable financial terms helped move the discussions forward. The company had also considered models from Anthropic.

The new search initiative is reportedly being worked on by a team internally dubbed AKI (Answers, Knowledge and Information), which we've previously reported on. The effort is a key part of the long-promised Siri overhaul, which was delayed until 2026. In a recent all-hands meeting, software chief Craig Federighi said the work on the end-to-end revamp had put the company in a position to deliver a "much bigger upgrade than we envisioned."

This development comes as Apple's lucrative search deal with Google, worth an estimated $20 billion a year, remains under scrutiny in a U.S. antitrust lawsuit. A judge just preserved that deal earlier this week. During court testimony this year, Apple's services chief Eddy Cue said he was impressed with AI search alternatives like Perplexity and that the company was actively exploring them.

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