Apple plans to incorporate AI-powered search options in its Safari browser, posing a threat to Google's ad business heavily reliant on iPhone users utilizing its search engine.
Shares of Google's parent company, Alphabet, dropped by 7.3%, reducing its market value by around $150 billion in response to the news.
Google pays Apple approximately $20 billion annually to be the default search engine, representing about 36% of its search ad revenue through Safari.
US antitrust regulators aiming to disrupt Google's online search dominance have proposed remedies such as banning payment for default search engine positions, indicating a seismic shift in the search landscape.