Apple’s Safari to threaten Google’s dominance

Apple is readying to integrate AI-powered hunt options into its Safari browser, successful a improvement that could interaction Google’s stronghold successful the online hunt market.

Apple's elder vice president of services, Eddy Cue, said the institution is “actively looking at” integrating AI hunt providers specified arsenic OpenAI, Perplexity AI and Anthropic into Safari.

Cue made the comments portion testifying successful a US Department of Justice antitrust lawsuit examining Google's dominance successful online search.

“We volition adhd them to the database — they astir apt won’t beryllium the default,” Cue said, according to Bloomberg.

He added that “prior to AI, my feeling astir this was, nary of the others were valid choices. I deliberation contiguous determination is overmuch greater imaginable due to the fact that determination are caller entrants attacking the occupation successful a antithetic way.”

According to a root acquainted with the substance cited by Reuters, Cue noted that Safari searches declined for the archetypal clip past month, attributing the driblet to users progressively turning to AI tools.

Cue besides said helium believes AI tools volition yet regenerate accepted hunt engines.

“There’s capable wealth now, capable ample players, that I don’t spot however it doesn’t happen,” helium said.

The existent statement betwixt Apple and Google, reportedly worthy astir $20bn annually, makes Google the default hunt motor connected Safari.

Bloomberg reported that Cue confirmed a “bake-off” took spot past twelvemonth betwixt Google and OpenAI earlier Apple selected ChatGPT for usage successful its upcoming AI features.

Cue said the presumption Google offered “had a batch of things Apple wouldn’t hold to and didn’t hold to with OpenAI.”

He besides revealed that Apple has had discussions with different AI players, including DeepSeek and xAI’s Grok, and that the statement with OpenAI allows Apple to adhd much providers to its operating strategy successful the future.

Google, successful effect to the developments, said it has continued to spot maturation successful wide hunt queries, including those from Apple devices.

“People are seeing that Google Search is much utile for much of their queries — and they’re accessing it for caller things and successful caller ways,” the institution wrote successful a blog post, highlighting features specified arsenic dependable and ocular search.

Recently, Google CEO Sundar Pichai said the institution hopes to finalise an statement with Apple by mid-year to bring its Gemini AI merchandise to iPhones.

The Justice Department has projected banning Google from paying to beryllium the default hunt motor arsenic portion of imaginable remedies successful its antitrust case.

Cue said helium has “lost sleep” implicit the anticipation of ending the revenue-sharing woody with Google.