Apple is quietly developing its own AI-powered 'answer engine' as part of a push to compete in the growing intelligent search field. The initiative is led by a new team called 'Answers, Knowledge, and Information'.

The project aims to create a system that can respond to user questions by pulling from web-based content.

The tool may be launched as a standalone app or integrated into existing Apple platforms such as Siri and Safari. Although Apple has added ChatGPT support to Siri, plans for a more advanced, personalised AI assistant have faced repeated delays.

Apple is hiring engineers with search expertise, signalling a long-term plan to reshape how users access information across its products.

The company may also need to revise its longstanding search partnership with Google following the tech giant's antitrust defeat, further pushing Apple towards building its solution.