Google searches conducted through Apple’s Safari browser declined for the first time ever last month, Apple’s senior VP of services Eddy Cue revealed during Google’s ongoing antitrust trial.
“That has never happened in 22 years,” Cue stated, attributing the decline to the growing popularity of AI-powered search alternatives.
Cue pointed to tools like ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, and Microsoft Copilot as factors luring users away from traditional search engines like Google. These AI tools offer fast, conversational answers, reducing the need to visit Google for information discovery.
This decline could have major financial implications for Apple, which reportedly receives $20 billion annually from Google to keep its search engine as the default option in Safari. “I’ve lost a lot of sleep thinking about it,” Cue admitted, referencing Apple’s reliance on that revenue stream.
As AI continues to reshape how users find information online, website traffic from Google Search is also dropping. Responding to growing concerns from publishers, Google Search VP Pandu Nayak recently acknowledged the uncertainty: “I can’t offer any guarantees” that traffic levels will recover.
