AI APPLICATIONS
A
pple has finally thrown its hat into the chatbot ring. According to Bloomberg, CEO Tim Cook calls AI a once-in-a-generation shift, comparing its impact to that of the internet, smartphones and cloud computing.
“ Apple must do this. Apple will do this. This is sort of ours to grab,” he says.
After months of hesitation, the tech giant has assembled a dedicated team to build an AI system designed to take on OpenAI’ s ChatGPT directly.
The company has dubbed its project an“ answer engine” and placed it under a newly formed division called“ Answers, Knowledge and Information,” Bloomberg reports.
This is a big change for Apple, which has long preferred to acquire or partner rather than build complex AI systems from scratch.
What does“ Answer Engine” mean for the AI market? The decision puts Apple on a collision course with OpenAI, whose ChatGPT sparked the current AI boom, and Anthropic. Both firms have carved out substantial market share while Apple has watched from the sidelines.
Apple’ s CEO has come under increasing pressure from shareholders who have grown frustrated watching competitors race ahead in the AI arms race.
But he points out that Apple has often shown up late to new technology – only to redefine it.
130 January 2026