Apple might kick Google Search off of Safari: report

Date:
Wed, 07 May 2025 20:00:00 +0000

Description:
Apple is reportedly working to replace Google as Safaris default search
engine with AI tools.

FULL STORY ======================================================================Apple
is reportedly looking to make AI tools the default search option for Safari Google is the current default search engine for Safari in a $20B-a-year deal Apple sees the AI as possibly more appealing to users for search purposes

Apple is flirting with the idea of making AI tools the default search option for Safari instead of Google. As first reported by Bloomberg , Apples
services chief Eddy Cue revealed during testimony this week in the U.S. Department of Justices antitrust trial against Google that Apple is actively looking at bringing AI-powered search engines as a Google replacement.

Apple and Google currently have a mutually beneficial and lucrative deal
where Google pays Apple around $20 billion a year to remain the default
search engine across all Apple devices. That deal was part of the antitrust scrutiny, which led to the revelation of Apple's interest in alternatives.

Eddy Cue mentioned several major AI chatbot developers as potential new
search partners for Apple, including OpenAI, Perplexity, Anthropic, and xAI. Cue told the court that searches on Safari actually declined last month for the first time in recent memory, and his theory is that people are starting
to swap out standard search engines for AI tools. Instead of typing in how does Wi-Fi work? into a search bar, users are asking ChatGPT to explain it like theyre five.

Cue wasnt exactly subtle in hinting that Apple thinks traditional search
might be on the way out. "The only way you truly have true competition is
when you have technology shifts," he said. AI is a new technology shift, and its creating new opportunities for new entrants. Apple AI search

Apples already dipped its toes into AI search, linking Siri to ChatGPT and supposedly planning to do the same with Google Gemini. Cue also noted that Apples open to adding multiple AI search options directly into Safari, though no decision about a new default was mentioned.

AI search tools have some good points, but they come with glaring weaknesses. In particular, they can respond with incomplete, inaccurate, or downright hallucinatory information. Whether those issues are worth the advantages of
AI search tools is debatable, but Apple clearly thinks it might be a worthwhile change to make. After all, if people are okay switching from
Google to AI tools because they're easier, and despite their errors, that's the direction any company would want to follow.

And there's a reason Google has been willing to pay so much for its status on Apple devices. That user base is crucial to its search dominance. Just
hinting that it might not be the case forever sent Googles stock dropping nearly 9% after Cues testimony. Apple shares slipped too, but much more modestly.

None of this may matter if Apple decides it has a good thing with Google as a company and makes Gemini its default search tool with a similar deal. And while AI still cant quite be trusted to write a college essay or navigate the DMV website, it's already reshaping how we expect to interact with information. That means the tools we use to access that information are going to evolve in a way they haven't since perhaps the widespread adoption of mobile versions of websites. You might also like The ultimate AI search face-off - I pitted Claude's new search tool against ChatGPT Search, Perplexity, and Gemini, the results might surprise you 4 ChatGPT features I hope Apple adds to Siri Apple Intelligence feels like the HomePod all over again



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Link to news story: https://www.techradar.com/computing/artificial-intelligence/apple-might-kick-g oogle-search-off-of-safari-report


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