Apple remained silent on artificial intelligence during the WWDC 2025 keynote, but behind the scenes, the company is actively exploring new steps in this area.
Apple is considering acquiring Perplexity. This would enable the manufacturer to attract new talent and offer an artificial intelligence-based search engine in the future.
According to Bloomberg, Adrian Perica, responsible for mergers and acquisitions at Apple, has already discussed the idea with Eddy Cue, head of the services department, and other top executives involved in AI within the company. The talks are still in the early stages. Apple has not yet made an offer. It is not even certain whether the internal considerations will lead to a formal proposal.
Intensive collaboration is also possible
Apple is also considering an alternative in which it does not acquire the entire company but enters into a partnership with Perplexity. In both scenarios, Apple wants to develop an AI search engine based on Perplexity’s technology, which could also be integrated into Siri. Although no official offer has been made yet, Apple is said to have held several talks with Perplexity in recent months.
In May, during his testimony in the ongoing antitrust case involving Google Search, Cue said that Apple was in talks about a possible integration of Perplexity into Safari. He had to testify because of the long-standing agreement between Apple and Google. Google is the default search engine on the iPhone. In exchange, Apple receives billions of dollars annually. In 2021, that amount was 18 billion. However, Cue did not provide any clarity on concrete plans, including a possible acquisition.
Alternative to Google
If regulators force Apple to end its partnership with Google, an acquisition would help it develop its own AI search engine. It would also bring in the expertise needed to catch up in the field of AI. Like Meta, Apple is actively looking for AI talent.
According to Bloomberg, the company is even trying to compete with Facebook’s owner to attract Daniel Gross. He is the founder of AI company Safe Superintelligence. Apple seems to need support to realize the AI features it wants to offer its users. For example, the introduction of a more powerful version of Siri was postponed a few months ago, even though it was an important part of the original vision for Apple Intelligence.