Apple's plans to add AI-powered search options to its Safari browser are a big blow to Google, whose lucrative advertising business relies significantly on iPhone customers using its search engine.

Shares in Google’s parent Alphabet fell by as much as 9 per cent on Wednesday after a top Apple executive said the iPhone maker was “looking at” introducing alternative search engines for its web browser powered by artificial intelligence.

Now, even Apple is signaling a shift toward AI search — and away from Google. Due to the dominance of Apple iPhones, Apple's approach to search will have much wider impacts acro