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Apple might be getting ready to bring artificial intelligence (AI) search features to Safari. According to Apple’s senior vice president of services, Eddy Cue, the company is “actively looking at” adding AI-powered search options to Safari in the near future. Cue made this statement while testifying during Google’s antitrust trial on Wednesday.
Cue mentioned that Apple could introduce AI search features for Safari as early as next year, according to The Verge. “To date, they’re just not good enough,” he said.
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Apple has spoken with several companies leading the AI space, including OpenAI, Anthropic, and Perplexity, the report said. Although Apple already has a deal with OpenAI, Cue emphasised the need to stay flexible. “It was important to make sure we have the capability to switch if we have to,” he said.
The testimony also highlighted that Apple’s deal with Google—worth around $20 billion—makes Google the default search engine on Safari. Cue shared that searches done through Safari actually dropped for the first time ever last month. “That has never happened in 22 years,” he noted.
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This decline in searches is a concern for Apple because the company earns a portion of the advertising revenue from Google searches made through Safari. With fewer searches, that revenue also falls. Cue admitted that he’s “lost a lot of sleep thinking about” the drop.
Meanwhile, Google CEO Sundar Pichai recently confirmed that Google is in talks with Apple to bring its Gemini AI to iPhones. This deal could be finalised by mid-2025, with the rollout expected to be out by the end of this year.
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