Apple Eyes AI-Powered Search to Potentially Replace Google as Safari Default

Apple may be preparing to make a significant change to its Safari web browser by incorporating artificial intelligence (AI)-driven search capabilities — a move that could eventually end its long-standing partnership with Google, as stated in PYMNTS.

The development emerged during a high-profile U.S. Justice Department antitrust trial against Alphabet, Google’s parent company. Apple’s Senior Vice President of Services, Eddy Cue, testified that the tech giant is “actively looking at” reimagining Safari with a focus on AI search engines, Bloomberg reported Wednesday (May 7).

At the heart of the case is Apple’s estimated $20 billion-a-year agreement with Google, which makes Google the default search engine on Apple devices. That agreement has been in place since the iPhone’s launch in 2007 and has shaped the mobile search ecosystem ever since. However, the Justice Department’s legal challenge could compel Apple and Google to dissolve the deal.

Cue’s testimony revealed that Apple is considering integrating AI-based search tools from companies like OpenAI, Perplexity AI, and Anthropic. He noted that Apple has already held discussions with Perplexity about implementing its search capabilities into Safari.

He also acknowledged a decline in Safari search usage, attributing it to growing consumer interest in AI tools. “There’s much greater potential because there are new entrants attacking the problem in a different way,” Cue said, contrasting the current landscape with earlier years when he believed alternative search engines weren’t “valid choices.”

Cue further suggested that AI search engines are on track to surpass traditional platforms like Google, stating, “I believe that will change. I believe that it will change because there are new entrants that are attacking the problem in a different way.”

Despite acknowledging the financial importance of Apple’s deal with Google, Cue emphasized that technological shifts such as AI bring new opportunities for competition. “Technology shifts like AI create opportunities for new entrants and true competition,” he said.

Currently, Apple integrates OpenAI’s ChatGPT into Siri and has plans to add Google’s Gemini later this year. The company is also exploring offerings from Anthropic, DeepSeek, and xAI’s Grok. Cue recounted a “bake-off” between ChatGPT and Google’s AI assistant before ultimately selecting ChatGPT for Apple Intelligence in iOS 18.

The news of Apple’s potential shift away from Google led to a dip in the stock prices of both Alphabet and Apple on Wednesday.

As AI continues to reshape the tech landscape, Apple’s exploration of alternative search solutions signals a turning point in the company’s strategic direction — one that could have profound implications for the future of search on billions of devices worldwide.