Google fights to bundle Gemini AI with Maps and YouTube
In a legal hearing, Google argued that bundling Gemini with its apps is essential to its AI strategy and shouldn’t be blocked by remedies targeting search dominance.
Google is seeking permission to bundle its Gemini AI application with long-standing services such as YouTube and Maps, even as US regulators press for restrictions to curb its dominance in search.
At a recent court hearing, Google’s lawyer John Schmidtlein told Judge Amit Mehta that tying Gemini to its core apps is vital to delivering a consistent AI experience across its ecosystem.
He insisted the courts should not treat the AI market as a settled domain subject to old rules, and claimed that neither Maps nor YouTube is a monopoly product justifying special constraints.
The government’s position is more cautious. During the hearing, Judge Mehta questioned whether allowing Google to require its AI app to be installed to access Maps or YouTube would give it unfair leverage over competitors, mirroring past practices that regulators found harmful in search and browser markets.
This moment frames a broader tension: how antitrust frameworks will adapt (or not) when dominant platforms seek to integrate generative AI across many services. The outcome could shape the future of bundling practices and interoperability in AI ecosystems.
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