📰 AI News: Apple Built a Secret ChatGPT Competitor (But You Can't Use It)
Apple has been secretly working on its own ChatGPT-style chatbot - but there's a catch. The revelation: Apple has developed an internal AI chatbot app called "Veritas" (Latin for "truth") that's being used exclusively by employees to test a massive Siri overhaul coming in 2026. What Veritas does: The app functions just like ChatGPT - employees can type queries, hold back-and-forth conversations, save past chats, and follow up on earlier questions. But unlike Siri, it can do some impressive things: - Search through personal data like songs and emails - Perform in-app actions like editing photos - Handle complex, extended conversations - Reference previous chats for context Why this matters: Apple is using Veritas as a testing ground for what Siri should become. The internal chatbot runs on "Project Linwood" - Apple's planned Siri redesign that combines their own AI models with potentially Google's Gemini. The planned Siri transformation: The overhauled Siri (expected March 2026) will be able to: - Pull from on-device data and on-screen content - Navigate your entire iPhone through voice control - Handle more natural, context-aware conversations - Go beyond basic voice commands to actual assistance The controversial decision: Apple has no plans to release Veritas to the public as a standalone app. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman calls this "a mistake," arguing that keeping it internal means Apple misses out on valuable real-world testing data. Some Apple executives are skeptical about standalone chatbots altogether. Software chief Craig Federighi said Apple aims to integrate AI into daily tasks rather than provide "a bolt-on chatbot on the side." Why Apple is scrambling: Siri has fallen way behind. While it was one of the first digital assistants over a decade ago, users today are turning to ChatGPT, Gemini, and Perplexity for tasks Siri can't handle. Even Apple exec Eddy Cue admitted that Safari searches have declined as users moved to AI-powered engines. This threatens Apple's multi-billion-dollar Google search deal.