Apple is working to build its own AI ‘answer engine’ app designed to challenge OpenAI’s ChatGPT.
The American tech giant has reportedly begun work after forming a new team of developers, with the app reportedly labelled Answers, Knowledge and Information.
According to Bloomberg, the answer engine will be able to respond to questions by deriving information from the web in real time. The app is expected to be a standalone entity with search capabilities like Siri, Safari and other Apple products.
Apple has been advertising applications for the jobs in the team, looking specifically for applicants with experience with search algorithms and engine development.
This move comes at a time of intense competition between all tech giants to create the best AI model, with the market currently dominated by OpenAI.
However, Apple has found itself lacking in the world of AI, while rivals like Google have seen a lot of progress in AI development over the last year or so.
Some would call that playing it safe, but there’s another way to look at it. Maybe Apple doesn’t believe the current wave of AI is ready? Maybe it’s not convinced the technology will hold up under real pressure, so it’s watching the chaos from a distance?
To be fair, there’s plenty of chaos to watch. Companies are rolling out AI products that don’t work as advertised. Security issues, bad output, and inflated expectations are becoming common.
Behind the scenes, many AI companies are burning through cash trying to make their models useful. If the bubble bursts, Apple gets to say it never went all-in.
Of course, there’s always a risk in waiting too long. If AI tools do become reliable and useful across the board, Apple might miss the shift, but as of now, that shift hasn’t happened, with tools out there still struggling with accuracy, nuance, and consistency.
