Apple May See Fewer Searches In Safari, But Google CEO Sundar Pichai Insists AI Is Fueling Overall Query Growth: 'Far From A Zero-Sum Game'

Benzinga
2025.05.30 05:22
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Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai asserts that Google Search is experiencing overall growth, despite Apple executive Eddy Cue's claims of declining search volumes in Safari. Pichai attributes this growth to AI-driven features and user behaviors, emphasizing that the search landscape is evolving positively rather than competitively. Apple is exploring AI integration for Safari, while Google has introduced an "AI mode" in its Search and Chrome browser. Alphabet's Q1 revenue reached $90.23 billion, surpassing expectations, with Google Search revenue at $50.7 billion.

Alphabet Inc. GOOGL GOOGL CEO Sundar Pichai says overall Google Search activity is growing, thanks in part to AI-powered experiences.

What Happened: Speaking with The Verge Editor-in-Chief Nilay Patel after Google's I/O developer conference, Pichai addressed reports that search usage has been declining.

Earlier this month, in his testimony, Apple Inc. AAPL executive Eddy Cue stated that, for the first time in over two decades, Safari had experienced a decline in search volumes, which he attributed to the rise of AI-driven searches.

In response, Pichai pushed back, saying the data doesn’t show a downturn in overall activity. "We've been very clear. We're seeing overall query growth in search."

"There can be a lot of noise in search data, but everything we see tells us that we are seeing query growth, including across Apple's devices and platforms," Pichai added.

He attributed much of the increase to new user behaviors driven by AI features like Search Generative Experience (SGE), adding, "The query growth is continuing to grow over time."

Pichai also framed the evolving search landscape as additive rather than competitive. "It feels very far from a zero-sum game to me," he said, drawing comparisons to how YouTube thrived even after TikTok's rise.

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Why It's Important: During his testimony, Cue said Apple is actively exploring the integration of an AI-powered search engine into Safari, considering options from OpenAI, Anthropic and Perplexity AI.

Meanwhile, Google at the developer conference rolled out a new "AI mode" in its Search and Chrome browser for all U.S. users. The feature provides a conversational, Q&A-style experience, resembling ChatGPT and replacing the conventional list of search result links.

In April, Alphabet posted first-quarter revenue of $90.23 billion, marking a 12% increase from the previous year. The figure surpassed the Street consensus estimate of $89.2 billion, according to Benzinga Pro.

Revenue from Google Search came in at $50.7 billion, exceeding the expected $46.2 billion.

According to Benzinga Edge Stock Rankings, Alphabet has received a growth score of 88.56%. Click here to see how it stacks up against other companies like Apple.

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