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Apple is exploring adding AI search engines to its Safari browser and has already held discussions with some popular AI companies, says Eddy Cue, the company's SVP of services.
As The Verge reports, Cue made the disclosure while testifying in court for the ongoing Google monopoly trial. The case, which is in its remedial phase, has found Google guilty of monopolistic practices, such as paying Apple $20 billion a year to be the default search engine on Safari.
As the lucrative deal heads toward its potential end, Apple has started looking at AI alternatives, and the company has held discussions with Perplexity, OpenAI, and Anthropic.
"Prior to AI, my feeling around this was, none of the others [search options] were valid choices," Cue said. "I think today there is much greater potential because there are new entrants attacking the problem in a different way."
However, Cue emphasized that AI providers need to continue improving their products, and that Apple would be keeping its options open. "We will add them to the list — they probably won't be the default," he said, adding that Apple will "make sure we have the capability to switch if we have to."
Cue also added that last month, searches on Safari dropped for the first time in 22 years (probably due to the rise of generative AI tools like ChatGPT and Gemini). Google has since disputed that claim. A statement from Google said, "We continue to see overall query growth in Search. That includes an increase in total queries coming from Apple’s devices and platforms."
Another interesting remark Cue made during the testimony was regarding the future of the iPhone. "We're not an oil company, we're not toothpaste — these are things that are going to last forever ... you may not need an iPhone 10 years from now," he said, while discussing how AI could transform the tech industry at large.