Apple can fix its AI credibility problem in one move: release its internal ChatGPT-style app to the public. A real, consumer chatbot would show whether Apple Intelligence can stand on its own.
Last year’s unveiling fell short. Apple pitched systemwide utilities over a direct chat surface. The features looked tidy but safe. Rivals set the bar with fast, conversational agents tied to the open web. Apple insisted people wouldn’t want chatbots. People did.
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According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, the company’s bet on deep integration over a chatbot-first strategy backfired because users quickly adopted services like ChatGPT and Gemini.
Where Apple stands now
Inside Apple, the strategy has shifted. Gurman reports that a rebuilt Siri, code-named Project Linwood, pairs an external large model, likely Google’s Gemini, with Apple’s in-house Foundation Models. It aims to answer web questions, use on-device context, and let you run your iPhone by voice.
Apple has also formed the Answers, Knowledge and Information team, known as AKI, to handle general knowledge and retrieval. In the same reporting, Gurman says Apple is developing an AI-powered web search tool that moves the company closer to a Perplexity or ChatGPT-style experience. For internal testing, employees use a full chatbot app, code-named Veritas, that supports typed conversations and can trigger actions like editing a photo or pulling data from personal content.
Why a public chatbot matters
You now expect an agent you can open, query, and trust. ChatGPT, Gemini, and Perplexity taught you to ask anything and get fast, sourced answers. Siri’s current handoff to ChatGPT feels like a detour, not a destination. If Apple keeps its best work locked inside Siri, the story stays muddled. Gurman argues that a standalone chatbot would make Apple’s progress visible and separate it from Siri’s baggage.
A public chatbot does three things well:
- Shows technical progress without Siri’s legacy constraints.
- Gives users and developers an honest benchmark against competitors.
- Demonstrates practical utility that goes beyond passive system features.
What you should expect if Apple ships this
If Apple makes Veritas public, you should see conversational answers with citations and context, on-device actions through App Intents, and reliable voice and text parity. Screen-aware context should improve relevance with your permission. Cross-device sync should remember your last thread with secure storage. According to reports, many of these pieces are already in internal testing.
The cost of staying quiet
If Apple hides progress inside Siri alone, reviewers will keep comparing Siri to faster and more useful agents. You will keep opening another app for research and creation. Apple will have improved the plumbing without fixing the room you live in.
Publish the bot. Let people judge the models, the speed, the grounding, and the action system. If Apple Intelligence is ready, a public Veritas will prove it. If it is not, real-world feedback will harden the product before the next iPhone cycle.
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