EU orders Google to open Android AI features
New EU rules require Google to give rival AI assistants greater Android access and provide eligible search providers with anonymised search data.
The European Commission has issued two sets of binding measures under the Digital Markets Act requiring Google to improve competition in AI assistants and online search.
The first decision requires Google to give competing AI services access to 11 key Android features on terms equivalent to those available to its own services, including Gemini.
Users will be able to activate their preferred AI assistant via voice commands and have it to perform tasks across apps, such as sending messages, booking services, or retrieving contextual information.
Alternative providers will also gain access to features covering device context, background execution, on-device models, system integration and automated actions, subject to user consent and security safeguards.
Google must implement most of the measures in Android 18 and no later than 1 August 2027. Concurrent voice activation for multiple AI assistants must be introduced with Android 19 by August 2028.
The second decision requires Google to share anonymised search data with eligible third-party search engines, including AI chatbots that provide online search functions.
The data may include queries, rankings, clicks and views that Google uses to improve its own search service. Recipients may use it to develop search technology, improve retrieval and ground AI-generated answers in current online information.
The measures do not require Google to share its search algorithms, and recipients cannot use the data to train general-purpose AI models or for advertising and consumer profiling.
Google must also establish a transparent application process and a pricing model based primarily on the costs of providing access.
The Commission said the measures are intended to expand consumer choice and prevent Google’s advantages in Android and search from limiting competition in AI services.
Why does it matter?
The decisions apply established DMA interoperability and data-access rules directly to the emerging AI market. Rival assistants could gain deeper access to Android, while search providers and AI chatbots may use Google’s data to improve retrieval and compete more effectively. The measures could lower barriers created by control over operating systems and search data, although implementation will require careful protection of privacy, cybersecurity and commercially sensitive information.
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