Apple is considering integrating artificial intelligence-powered search engines from OpenAI, Perplexity, and Anthropic into its Safari web browser. The news was revealed in testimony by Eddy Cue, Apple’s Senior Vice President of Services, during proceedings related to the U.S. Justice Department’s antitrust lawsuit against Alphabet, Google’s parent company.
Cue outlined that Apple has begun discussions with Perplexity and is exploring other AI-driven search solutions to potentially complement or even replace traditional search engines. He attributed the company’s interest in AI search to a noticeable decline in search activity on Safari last month, a shift he believes is caused by the growing popularity of AI-driven services. While acknowledging the potential of these AI search tools, Cue clarified that Apple does not presently consider them evolved enough to become Safari’s default search option.
The $20 billion a year agreement between Apple and Google, under scrutiny by the Justice Department, currently makes Google Safari’s default search engine. Cue’s remarks indicate a strategic interest from Apple in shifting towards next-generation search technologies in response to significant market changes driven by advances in artificial intelligence.
