EU investigates Google-Samsung AI deal
Google and Samsung’s AI partnership under EU antitrust scrutiny.
The EU antitrust regulators are investigating a deal between Google and Samsung, where Google’s chatbot, Gemini Nano, is embedded in Samsung’s Galaxy S24 smartphones. The European Commission wants to understand if this multi-year generative AI deal restricts rival chatbots from being installed on Samsung devices, raising concerns about potential anti-competitive practices.
Regulators have sent out a questionnaire to industry participants, asking if the pre-installation of Gemini Nano via the device or the cloud limits the number of other AI systems that can be pre-installed. They are also examining if this arrangement affects the interoperability between Gemini Nano and other pre-installed apps on Samsung smartphones.
The investigation aims to determine if competitors have faced challenges in making deals with device manufacturers for the pre-installation of their chatbots and the reasons behind any rejections. Feedback from industry participants is crucial in shaping the EU’s stance on the matter.
Respondents have until this week to submit their responses to the eight-page questionnaire, which will play a key role in assessing the impact of the Google-Samsung deal on market competition.
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