Apple Explores AI-Powered Search Options for Safari as Google Deal Faces Uncertainty

Apple Considering AI-Powered Search for Safari Apple's Senior Vice President of Services, Eddy Cue, revealed during a court hearing that the company is actively exploring the possibility of integrating AI-based search engines into Safari. This comes in light of potential changes to Google's $20 billion annual deal as the default search provider due to an ongoing antitrust lawsuit. While Apple is considering options from providers like OpenAI, Perplexity AI, and Anthropic PBC, these AI-based searches are not expected to replace Google as the default option immediately. Cue noted that traditional search engines might be supplanted by AI in the future, but further improvements are needed. Additionally, Safari search volumes have seen a decline in April, which Cue attributes to users increasingly turning to AI for their queries.