The European Union has ordered Google to open up key parts of Android and Google Search to rival AI assistants and search engines, in a move that could weaken the company's control over two of the tech industry's most important platforms.
Key facts
- The EU handed down two decisions on Thursday requiring Google to comply with the bloc's digital antitrust rules.
- Google must give rival AI assistants and search engines greater access to Android and Google Search.
- Alphabet's Google will have to help OpenAI and other AI rivals access its services, EU regulators said.
- Google says the changes could endanger user privacy and security.
Google must give rival AI assistants and search engines greater access to key parts of Android and Google Search after the European Union ordered the company to comply with the bloc’s digital antitrust rules, according to The Verge.
The two decisions were handed down on Thursday. The Verge reports that they could weaken Google’s control over two of the tech industry’s most important platforms.
According to CNBC, Alphabet’s Google will have to help OpenAI and other AI rivals access its services in order to comply with EU rules aimed at curbing the power of Big Tech, as stated by EU regulators.
Ars Technica reports that the EU will force Google to share search data and open up AI capabilities on Android as part of the mandated changes.
Google has pushed back on the decisions. According to Ars Technica, the company says these changes could endanger user privacy and security.
The orders target Android and Google Search, two platforms that sit at the center of how many users access the internet and, increasingly, AI-powered tools.
Why it matters
Android and Google Search are among the most widely used technology platforms in the world, so opening them to rivals could reshape how Europeans access search and AI assistants. The decisions also signal how aggressively EU regulators are prepared to enforce digital competition rules against Big Tech.
Frequently asked questions
What did the EU order Google to do?
The EU ordered Google to give rival AI assistants and search engines greater access to key parts of Android and Google Search, and to share search data, in order to comply with the bloc's digital antitrust rules, according to The Verge and Ars Technica.
Which competitors could benefit?
According to CNBC, Google will have to help OpenAI and other AI rivals access its services.
How has Google responded?
Ars Technica reports that Google says the changes could endanger user privacy and security.