- Google has been the default search engine in Safari for a 20B-a-year agreement
- Apple thinks the AI is more appealing for users to search with
Apple flirts with the idea of making AI the default option for Safari rather than Google. As first reported by BloombergApple’s Services Chief Eddy Cue revealed this week during testimony in the U.S. Department of Justice antitrust trial against Google, that Apple is “actively considering” bringing AI powered search engines to replace Google.
Apple has a lucrative and mutually beneficial deal with Google where Google pays Apple $20 billion per year to be the default search engine on all Apple devices. This deal was part the antitrust investigation, which led to Apple’s interest for alternatives. Eddy Cue, in a statement dated 19659009, mentioned that Apple could be looking for new search partners, including OpenAI and Perplexity. Cue told the jury that Safari searches actually decreased last month, for the first time since recent memory. His theory is that people have started to switch from standard search engines to AI tools. ChatGPT is used by users to explain things like “how does WiFi work?” instead of typing it into a search box.
Cue didn’t play it subtle when he hinted that Apple believes traditional search is on its way out. “The only way you truly have true competition is when you have technology shifts,” He said. “AI is a technology shift that creates new opportunities for new entrants.”
Apple AI search
Apple has already dabbled in AI search by linking Siri to ChatGPT, and is reportedly planning to do the exact same thing with Google Gemini. Cue said that Apple is open to adding AI search options directly to Safari, but no decision was made about a default.
AI tools have their good points, but also some obvious weaknesses. They can provide incomplete, inaccurate or even hallucinatory results. Apple believes that the AI search tools are worth it, but whether these issues are worth it is debatable. If people are happy to switch from Google to AI search tools because they are easier, and despite the errors, then that is the direction that any company would like to take.
There’s a good reason why Google is willing to pay so high for its position on Apple devices. This user base is vital to its search dominance. Google’s stock dropped nearly 9% following Cue’s testimony, just by hinting that this might not be true forever. Apple shares also fell, but in a much more modest way.
All of this might not matter if Apple decides that it has a good deal with Google and makes Gemini the default search tool in a similar deal. While AI isn’t yet able to be trusted to write an essay for college or navigate the DMV’s website, it has already changed how we interact with information. The tools we use to get that information will evolve in a new way, perhaps since the widespread adoption mobile versions of websites.
Apple Intelligence is like the HomePod again
Eric Hal Schwartz has been a freelance writer at TechRadar for more than 15 years. He has covered the intersection of technology and the world. He was the head writer of Voicebot.ai for five years and a pioneer in reporting on large language models and generative AI. Since then, he has become an expert in the products of generative AI, including OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Anthropic’s Claude. He also knows Google Gemini and all other synthetic media tools. His experience spans print, digital and broadcast media as well as live events. He’s now continuing to tell stories that people want to hear and need to know about the rapidly changing AI space and the impact it has on their lives. Eric is based out of New York City.
