Apple Inc. is set to transform web browsing by incorporating AI-powered search engines in Safari, which could end its $20 billion-a-year deal with Google. The landmark change was revealed by Eddy Cue, Apple’s Senior Vice President of Services, in a U.S. Justice Department antitrust trial against Google’s parent company, Alphabet Inc.
Cue reported that Apple is “actively looking at” AI search alternatives like OpenAI, Perplexity AI, and Anthropic. He admitted that the traditional Safari searches were on the decline, and he attributed this to the increasing use of AI assistants. Although Google is likely to continue being the default for the time being, Cue confirmed that Apple plans to increase the number of options for users in Safari, which may include other AI models such as China’s DeepSeek and Elon Musk’s Grok.
This change marks the end of an era. Google has dominated search on iPhones since 2007. But with more than 2 billion active Apple devices and AI changing user behavior, the future of search may not be Google-centric anymore. Apple has already incorporated ChatGPT into Siri and intends to incorporate Google’s Gemini later this year while still testing alternatives through partnerships and trials.
The reactions of investors were immediate—Alphabet’s shares fell 7.3%, while Apple’s fell 1.1%. While Cue still believes that Google still provides the best financial terms, he admitted that the company is looking at a post-Google future to accommodate changing technology. “You might not even need an iPhone in 10 years,” he said, highlighting the magnitude of the change.
As Apple’s annual developer conference approaches in June, industry observers are anticipating significant updates to its AI platform, Apple Intelligence. The AI race is getting hot, and Apple is no longer content to sit on the sidelines. This shift may change the way billions access and use the internet.
