AsianFin -- Apple is exploring a major overhaul of its Safari browser to integrate AI-powered search engines, a potential turning point that could end its multibillion-dollar partnership with Google.

Eddy Cue, Apple’s senior vice president of services, revealed the company’s plans during testimony Wednesday in the U.S. Justice Department’s antitrust case against Google parent Alphabet. At the center of the case is a deal worth an estimated $20 billion annually, which makes Google the default search engine on Apple devices—a partnership that may be unwound if the court rules against it.

Cue said Safari searches declined last month, a drop he attributed to the rising popularity of AI tools. He predicted AI search platforms like OpenAI, Perplexity AI, and Anthropic will eventually supplant traditional search engines and hinted that Apple is looking to offer these alternatives in Safari in the future.