The European Union has ordered Google to give its AI rivals greater access to Android, opening up the mobile operating system to competing AI assistants. The decision under the Digital Markets Act requires Google to allow third-party AI assistants the same system-level access that its own Gemini assistant enjoys.
The EU Commission ruling mandates that Google must let rival AI assistants operate on Android with equivalent capabilities, including the ability to set themselves as the default assistant, access system-level functions, and integrate with the operating system in the same ways as Gemini. The change must be implemented by the time Android 18 is released.
In a separate but related decision, the Commission also ordered Google to share search data with competing search engines and AI companies. The access provisions are designed to prevent Google from using its dominance in search and mobile operating systems to unfairly advantage its own AI products over those of competitors.
Google has pushed back against the ruling, arguing that opening Android to rival AI assistants raises security and privacy concerns. The company has pointed to the complexity of integrating third-party AI services at the operating system level and the potential risks to user data if not carefully managed.
The decisions represent the most significant regulatory action against Google under the DMA since it came into full effect. The Commission has been investigating Google practices for months, and the rulings could serve as a template for how other major technology platforms are required to open up their ecosystems to AI competitors.
This article was adapted from The Verge. Read the original here.
