Apple’s AKI team to fix “embarrassing” Siri shortcomings
Apple has formed an internal unit called “Answers, Knowledge, and Information” (AKI) to develop in-house artificial intelligence services aimed at creating a search experience similar to ChatGPT, according to Mark Gurman’s Power On newsletter for Bloomberg. This move represents a shift from Apple’s previous public stance against developing its own chatbot.
The company’s current AI initiative, Apple Intelligence, has encountered difficulties. Features already released, including Genmoji and Notification Summaries, have reportedly been underwhelming. Furthermore, the planned comprehensive upgrade to Siri has been significantly delayed, with its launch pushed back by over a year.
Despite some internal philosophical reservations about generative AI chatbots among executives, Apple established the AKI team earlier this year. The group’s specific mission is to explore and develop proprietary AI capabilities focused on delivering a ChatGPT-like search functionality directly within Apple’s ecosystem, Bloomberg reports.
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Apple has previously shown interest in potential partnerships to address this area, including discussions with AI startup Perplexity, which specializes exclusively in AI-powered search. The formation of the AKI team indicates a move towards an in-house solution. The unit is led by Robby Walker, an executive with a history on the Siri team.
Walker reportedly lost responsibility for certain Siri duties following the acknowledged delays to the virtual assistant’s overhaul. In a widely reported meeting this year, Walker characterized these Siri delays as “ugly and embarrassing,” highlighting internal challenges and the pressure to improve Apple’s AI offerings.
Given the recent formation of the AKI team and the scale of developing a competitive AI search experience, the report suggests any tangible results from this internal effort are not expected to materialize in the immediate future.