Apple partners with Google to power AI search for Siri in 2026

Apple is developing an AI-powered search engine tool called “World Knowledge Answers” that will integrate into Siri and launch as early as spring 2026, according to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman. The search engine will be powered by Google’s AI technology through a new partnership agreement, potentially giving Apple’s struggling AI efforts the boost they need to compete with ChatGPT and other AI search tools.

What you should know: The new search engine aims to transform Siri into a more capable AI assistant that can answer complex internet queries using multiple content types.

• The tool will handle text, photos, videos, and “local points of interest,” making it a multimodal AI system that Apple currently lacks.
• It’s designed to work similarly to ChatGPT and Google’s AI Overviews, using summarization technology to deliver more accurate and digestible results than current Siri capabilities.
• The technology could eventually expand to Safari browser and Apple’s Spotlight search, though that integration appears to be further in the future.

The Google partnership: Apple will evaluate and test a Google-developed AI model to power the new Siri search capabilities.

• This builds on the existing $20 billion annual partnership where Google pays to remain the default search engine on iPhone.
• With courts ruling that this search partnership can continue, both companies appear open to expanding their AI collaboration.
• Google’s proven success with mobile AI could provide the technical foundation Apple needs for its AI ambitions.

Why this matters: Apple’s AI rollout has faced challenges, and this Google-powered search engine could help the company catch up with competitors like OpenAI and Perplexity in the rapidly evolving AI search market.