Apple Hints At AI Search Shift With Google Deal Under Scrutiny

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Apple’s Safari browser might soon look very different — not in design, but in who powers what you search. The company is reportedly preparing to introduce AI-first search engines into Safari’s list of options, a move that signals growing distance from Google’s long-standing dominance.

Eddy Cue, Apple’s head of services, dropped this revelation while testifying during the US Justice Department’s antitrust trial against Alphabet on 7 May. While he maintained that Google would remain the default for now, his tone was anything but committed.

“We will add them to the list,” Cue said, referring to AI-driven players like Perplexity, OpenAI, and Anthropic. “They probably won’t be the default.”

It’s a subtle shift on the surface, but underneath, it reveals Apple’s slow exit strategy from its RM 85.4 billion (USD20 billion) annual deal with Google — a deal that effectively keeps Google Search locked in as the default option on iPhones, iPads, and Macs.

Cue admitted Apple had “some discussions with Perplexity”, a clear sign that alternatives are no longer theoretical. In the age of generative AI, Apple seems keen on diversifying its options, especially as user behaviour begins to shift.

April 2025 marked the first dip in Safari search traffic, according to Cue. Users experimented with AI tools instead of traditional search, and with large language models now delivering more relevant, conversational answers….the old search engine format is starting to look a little stale.

Before the AI boom, Cue argued, “none of the others were valid choices”. Today, he sees genuine potential in these newcomers. The combination of deep funding, fresh approaches, and smarter models is fast closing the credibility gap once enjoyed solely by Google.

That doesn’t mean Apple is about to rip up its agreement. The Google deal is still a financial windfall. But the groundwork is being laid. Siri is already dabbling with ChatGPT integration, and Google’s own Gemini is set to join the mix later this year. Apple, ever the strategist, is playing both sides, for now.

Introducing rivals into Safari, even in a secondary role, gives Apple room to negotiate harder and in a tech landscape increasingly defined by AI, that kind of flexibility is more valuable than any search deal.