Recently, Bloomberg technology reporter Mark Gurman revealed Apple's new moves in the field of artificial intelligence. After a period of adjustment, Apple is conducting internal testing of a chatbot application codenamed "Veritas," which is similar to the popular ChatGPT, but currently only used to verify the upcoming new generation of Siri technology and is not planned to be open to consumers yet.
Last year, Apple demonstrated a series of AI features centered around system integration at its event, including email classification, Genmoji that generates emojis, and text editing and summary tools. However, Apple's strategy did not seem to receive the expected response, with many users dissatisfied with the performance of Siri. In this increasingly competitive market, Apple once underestimated the demand for conversational AI experiences.
Over time, Apple gradually realized the importance of chatbots in enhancing user experience. In August this year, it was reported that Apple formed a new team called "Answers, Knowledge and Information" (AKI), focusing on developing AI-driven web search tools, gradually moving closer to the positioning of competitors such as ChatGPT and Perplexity.
Gurman pointed out that Apple's core work remains the new Siri codenamed "Project Linwood," which is expected to make its debut in March next year. Linwood will combine external models (such as Google's Gemini) and Apple's self-developed Foundation Models (AFM) technology, supporting more complex web searches, device request processing, and full voice-controlled navigation.
To verify these technical capabilities, Apple internally developed the Veritas chatbot application, allowing employees to input queries and engage in two-way conversations, similar to ChatGPT. In addition, Veritas can also perform tasks such as editing photos and retrieving personal data. This application is different from previous experimental tools and has the functionality of an independent app. However, unfortunately, Apple has no plans to launch it to the consumer market.
Gurman said that if Apple relies solely on Siri to showcase new AI technologies, it may be difficult for users to truly feel the progress. For a long time, Siri has been criticized, and in the context where competitors such as ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Gemini are gradually being widely accepted, the lack of a public chatbot application may weaken Apple's competitiveness in the generative AI field.
