Whereas we’re nonetheless ready for the brand new Apple Intelligence-infused Siri to reach on our iPhones, a brand new report claims Apple’s plans for its digital assistant go far past the scope outlined thus far. In accordance with Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, Apple is engaged on a brand new AI-powered internet search function for Siri to rival OpenAI and Perplexity.
The instrument, dubbed “World Data Solutions” internally, shouldn’t be a large-scale LLM (Giant Language Mannequin) chatbot, however moderately depends on internet crawling, search, and an LLM to supply solutions from the net. In accordance with the report, the system is supposed to launch in spring 2026 as a part of the massive Siri overhaul, and would compete with ChatGPT, Google’s AI search solutions, and Perplexity in relation to getting up-to-date info from the net. Apple might later carry the identical system to Safari and Highlight on the Mac.
The report says the know-how behind the brand new instrument “might come partly” from Google. Apparently, the 2 firms got here to a proper settlement simply this week wherein Apple will take a look at a Google-developed AI mannequin to energy the longer term Siri improve. Maybe coincidentally, a choose dominated this week that the 2 firms’ profitable partnership to make Google the default search engine on iPhones is allowed.
The brand new search expertise can have an interface that “makes use of” textual content, photographs, video, and native factors of curiosity. There will even be AI summaries for longer outcomes.
This new search functionality is only one a part of a deliberate multi-faceted overhaul of Siri to happen subsequent 12 months. Additionally deliberate is the power to grasp and act with information of the consumer’s private context, to learn and perceive what’s on the display, and to take actions inside apps utilizing an intensive set of app interfaces known as “intents.”
All of that is at present deliberate for the OS replace that ought to correspond to OS 26.4, due for launch within the spring. There are different associated AI options coming later, together with a giant visible redesign for Siri, an AI-powered well being and wellness function as a part of a paid wellness subscription, and a giant Siri replace for dwelling gadgets to make them extra conversational.
