Key points:

  • Apple shares rise 3.8%
  • AI search tool in the works
  • Apple’s moment finally here?

Shares of the iPhone maker are now 9% away from their record high. But is this the breakthrough many Apple aficionados have been waiting for?

🚀 A Surge Powered by AI Hopes

  • Apple stock AAPL ripped higher Wednesday, closing up 3.8% and marking one of their strongest sessions in weeks after Bloomberg reported that the iPhone maker is preparing to launch its own AI-powered search tool next year.
  • Dubbed World Knowledge Answers, the tool is designed to rival OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Perplexity — and potentially reshape Apple’s Siri strategy after years of underwhelming progress in AI. With the rally baked in, Apple is now just 9% shy of its all-time high.
  • Internally referred to as an “answer engine,” the innovative system aims to provide direct, AI-generated responses to complex queries.

🤖 Siri’s Big Makeover May Finally Be Coming

  • Apple plans to integrate the tool into Safari, Spotlight, and Siri over time, positioning itself to take back control of the voice assistant experience from third-party AI platforms.
  • The search tool is part of a broader AI overhaul of Siri, which Apple has so far struggled to deliver despite heavy investments.
  • Currently, Siri outsources AI-powered queries to ChatGPT via its Apple Intelligence integration introduced last year — a move that critics say underscores Apple’s lack of ideas and progress in the AI race.
  • By launching its own “answer engine,” Apple signals it wants to reduce dependence on external AI providers and regain control of its user experience across iPhone, Mac, and iPad.

🏃🏻‍♂️‍➡️ Google, Gemini, and the AI Arms Race

  • The report comes just one day after a US court ruling in Google’s monopoly case, which left its $20 billion annual default-search deal with Apple largely intact — for now.
  • Apple’s challenge is steep: Microsoft’s Copilot and Google’s Gemini have already integrated generative AI into their ecosystems, giving them an early lead.
  • Meanwhile, ChatGPT and Perplexity are redefining search itself, creating pressure on Apple to prove Siri can compete in an AI-first world.