According to Bloomberg News reporter Mark GurmanGet the message, originally rumored to be AppleInterested in acquiring Perplexity AI, in order to expand the development puzzle of "Apple Intelligence", but it may now tend to abandon this decision and will cooperate with Google on its Gemini AI technology, and even plans to launch a new "World Knowledge Answers" feature in 2026.
This new tool is expected to be deeply integrated into Siri, Safari, and Spotlight. Leveraging the vast knowledge base and generative AI capabilities of the Gemini AI model, it will provide users with more comprehensive AI assistance in their daily queries and workflows. This suggests that Apple may choose to collaborate to supplement the shortcomings of its own AI model in general knowledge question answering.
Prior to this announcement, the market generally believed that Perplexity AI was a key option for Apple to enhance search and Siri capabilities. Perplexity AI has been gaining traction in the AI search field in recent years, challenging Google's traditional search technology dominance with its "conversational search" concept.
However, as the default search engine agreement between Google and Apple is no longer subject to monopoly regulatory pressure, cooperation between the two parties has become more flexible, and Apple may be more inclined to cooperate with Google on Gemini AI technology.
However, Mark Gurman also pointed out that in addition to Gemini, Apple continues to test a variety of feasible solutions, including OpenAI, Anthropic, and its own models. The final approach has not yet been confirmed, which means that Apple still maintains a certain degree of flexibility in its AI development strategy to avoid over-reliance on a single external technology source.
At WWDC 2024, Apple announced a comprehensive Siri upgrade, slated for iOS 18. However, due to unsatisfactory development progress, the plan was ultimately postponed indefinitely, sparking dissatisfaction among users and developers. This service delay puts Apple at a disadvantage in the AI market, leading to a core goal for iOS 26, which prioritizes reducing failure rates.
Therefore, if the "World Knowledge Answers" feature can be successfully launched in 2026, it will be an important step for Apple to regain its dominance in AI and search experience.
Overall, while Apple hasn't been as swift as Google and Microsoft in bringing generative AI to market, its choice of partnerships over large-scale acquisitions suggests a more steady approach, ensuring consistent service integration and user experience. Whether Gemini will ultimately become a key pillar of Apple's AI ecosystem remains to be seen, as will the depth and implementation of the subsequent collaboration between the two parties.
