Apple Inc. made an unusual pitch in its bid to save a lucrative search partnership with Alphabet Inc.’s Google, saying that the deal might not be necessary in the long run and that even the iPhone may fall out of use.

Google has been worrying about losing search share to AI engines like ChatGPT for a couple of years.

Speaking during Google’s antitrust trial, Apple senior vice president of services Eddy Cue floated the possibility of a new AI-focused search partnership.