EU demands Google open Android to rival AI assistants as Digital Markets Act probe escalates

Europe could force Google to open Android to other AI assistants

Back in January, the European Commission began an initial investigation, known as a specification proceeding, into how Google has implemented AI in the Android operating system. The results are in, and the EU says Android needs to be more open, which is not surprising. Meanwhile, Google says this amounts to "unwarranted intervention," which is equally unsurprising. Regardless of Google's characterization of the investigation, the commission may force Google to make Android AI changes this summer. This action stems from the continent's Digital Markets Act (DMA), a sweeping law that designates seven dominant technology companies as "gatekeepers" that are subject to greater regulation to ensure fair competition. Google has consistently spoken against the regulations imposed under the DMA, but it and the other gatekeepers have been subject to the law for several years now, and there's little chance the commission backs away from it. The issue before the commission currently is the built-in advantage for Gemini on Android. When you turn on any Google-powered Android phone, Gemini is already there and gets special treatment at the system level. The European Commission is taking aim at the lack of features available to third-party AI services. The commission believes that there are too many experiences on Android that only work with Google's Gemini AI, and as a gatekeeper, Google must change that. "As we navigate the rapidly evolving landscape of AI, it is clear that interoperability is key to unlocking the full potential of these technologies," said Commission VP for Tech Sovereignty Henna Virkkunen in a statement. "These measures will open up Android devices to a wider range of AI services, so that users will have the freedom to choose the AI services that best meet their needs and values, without sacrificing functionality." The commission does have a solid track record pushing for openness so far. Since the DMA came into force, Google has been required to make numerous changes to its business in Europe, like implementing search choice screens on Android, allowing alternative payment methods in the Play Store, and limiting data sharing across services. Now, the EU wants Google to make the Android platform more hospitable to third-party AI services. "This unwarranted intervention would strip away that autonomy, mandate access to sensitive hardware and device permissions; unnecessarily driving up costs while undermining critical privacy and security protections for European users," said Google senior competition counsel Claire Kelly. EU rules could mean more AI, not less Just because Gemini is preinstalled on virtually every Android phone doesn't mean you have to use it. You can easily install ChatGPT or Grok and turn to that chatbot when the need arises. However, these apps won't have the same access to data and features as Gemini. The commission cites a few examples where Gemini is the only route, like sending an email in your default mail client or sharing a photo with friends. European regulators are proposing several broad changes to the way AI tools operate on Android phones. Some of this is straightforward, like allowing third-party AI tools to be invoked system-wide via hot words or button presses. This might also include allowing AI tools to view screen context when the user opens them. Context also extends to allowing alternative AI systems to access local data to generate proactive suggestions and summaries. The report actually describes something that sounds like Google's Magic Cue, which relies on Gemini to offer suggestions based on your activity. Google has also started experimenting with allowing AI to control certain apps. As we saw when this feature debuted on the Galaxy S26, Gemini is currently pretty bad at using apps on your behalf. The commission wants to explore allowing other AI services to autonomously control installed apps and system features on Android phones. Maybe someone else could do better? Many of the Gemini AI features in Android, including Magic Cue, rely on running local models, and Google has been slow to allow third parties the system access to make that work effectively. So the EU is also suggesting a mandate that would ensure developers have the necessary hardware access to run local models "with high levels of performance, availability and responsiveness." Finally, Google may be required under the DMA to create new APIs and offer technical assistance to other AI makers who want to plug into Android. The commission also specifies these tools must be made available free of charge. So far, this is just a framework for how AI on Android might change. The European Commission is currently accepting feedback from interested parties. That part of the process will wrap up on May 13. A final decision on this investigation will be made no later than July 27 of this year. Failure to enact required changes could result in big fines. The DMA allows for penalties up to 10 percent of a company's annual global revenue. Google probably won't be required to fling the doors open right away, though. Creating avenues for third-party AI apps to access system tools and data would take time. Rushing the process could risk security or privacy issues. And naturally, there's no guarantee any of these proposed changes would be seen outside of the EU.

Brussels to Google: share Android's platform with AI rivals

DMA enforcers want rival assistants to get same deep device access as Gemini Those pencil pushers at the European Commission are drawing up measures to ensure Google opens up its Android smartphone platform to something few users asked for - competing AI services. Landing on Google's desk are proposed measures the Chocolate Factory may have to implement, aimed at ensuring third parties get effective access to key Android capabilities. This includes the ability for rival AI services to interact with applications and execute tasks on user devices just as easily as Google's own. The Commission sent its preliminary findings to Google as part of the proceedings it started under the Digital Markets Act (DMA) back in January. One covered Android interoperability obligations with third-party developers; a second concerned access to key data held by Google Search. Currently, the Commission claims, capabilities like sending an email, ordering food or sharing a photo are largely reserved for Google's own AI offerings on Android. It wants a facility for rival AI services to be easily activated by users via a custom "wake word" (or "woke word," if you're American), and for competing providers to offer deeply integrated experiences alongside native tools like Gemini. As is customary, the Commission is putting its proposed measures out for a public consultation, and inviting comment from interested parties until May 13. Teresa Ribera, the Commission's first EVP for a Clean, Just and Competitive Transition, argued that AI services are increasingly how EU citizens interact with their phones, making it critical to protect innovation across companies of all sizes. "Today's proposed measures will give more choice to Android users about the AI services they use and integrate in their phone, including from the vast range of AI services that compete with Google's own AI," she said. Unsurprisingly, Google disagrees, arguing the AI market is already highly competitive and that Android is interoperable by design. "Android's open ecosystem enables AI assistants to thrive, as device makers have full autonomy to integrate and customise the AI experiences their users want," Google senior competition counsel Clare Kelly said in a statement sent to The Register. "This unwarranted intervention would strip away that autonomy, mandate access to sensitive hardware and device permissions; unnecessarily driving up costs while undermining critical privacy and security protections for European users," she added. Mountain View's position is that this is regulatory overreach which could leave European Android devices lacking functionality and security versus those elsewhere. But if Android is truly open by design, as Google insists, what harm could mandating openness possibly do? ®

Google's AI Power Over Android Ecosystem Targeted by EU

Google was targeted by European Union watchdogs who unveiled a slate of proposals aimed at prising open its Android ecosystem to rivals' AI services. The European Commission said Monday it wants the Alphabet Inc. unit to ensure "competing AI services can effectively interact with applications on users' Android devices and execute tasks," in order to comply with the rules. While Monday's proposals under the EU's Digital Markets Act is a step shy from a formal investigation or order, it aims to guide the US giant into compliance with the rules. The escalation confirmed an earlier report by Bloomberg News. The "proposed measures will give more choice to Android users about the AI services they use and integrate in their phone, including from the vast range of AI services that compete with Google's own AI," EU competition chief Teresa Ribera said in a statement. EU regulators added they were seeking industry feedback on the plan. Google's Gemini enjoys access to core features on Android, including integration and communication with a range of apps. The EU wants the company to grant an equally effective level of access to key Android features -- such as voice activation technology that users can operate to activate an AI service. In a statement, Google's Senior Competition Counsel Clare Kelly hit out at the EU's measures, saying the "unwarranted intervention" could unnecessarily drive up "costs while undermining critical privacy and security protections for European users." The EU's DMA lays out a raft of dos and don'ts for Big Tech firms and has provoked the ire of White House, being slammed by President Donald Trump as unfairly targeting American companies. In the face of transatlantic pressure, the EU has pursued enforcement of the rulebook tentatively, having only dished out relatively modest fines of €500 million ($587 million) against Apple Inc. and €200 million against Meta Platforms Inc. so far. The EU could later decide to start a formal probe if Google doesn't step into line with Monday's findings -- a move that comes with its own threat of financial penalties. The Mountain View, California firm has come in for fines totaling close to €9.5 billion from the EU for abusing its dominance over the years.

Google gets pointers from EU regulators on helping AI rivals access services

BRUSSELS, April 27 (Reuters) - Alphabet's (GOOGL.O), opens new tab Google was given pointers by EU antitrust regulators on Monday on how to help online search rivals and artificial intelligence developers access its services such as those available to its Gemini AI model under rules aimed at reining in Big Tech. The move by the European Commission, which acts as the EU competition enforcer, came three months after the regulator opened a so-called specification proceeding to assist the world's most popular internet search engine comply with the Digital Markets Act. "Today's proposed measures will give more choice to Android users about ⁠the AI services they use and integrate in their phone, including from the vast range of AI services that compete with Google's own AI," EU antitrust chief Teresa Ribera said in a statement. Google criticised the EU proposal, saying Android has an open ecosystem enabling AI assistants to thrive and device makers to have full autonomy to customise their AI services. "This unwarranted intervention would strip away that autonomy, mandate access to sensitive hardware and device permissions; unnecessarily driving up costs while undermining critical privacy and security protections for European users," Clare Kelly, ⁠the company's Senior Competition Counsel, said in an email. Regulators said Google currently keeps the use of key capabilities in its Android mobile operating system for its Gemini AI service on smartphones and tablets. They said the proposed measures would ensure that competing AI services can effectively interact with applications on ⁠users' Android devices and execute tasks accordingly, such as sending an email using the user's preferred email app, ordering food or sharing a photo with friends. The Commission said third parties have until May 13 ⁠to provide feedback before it issues a final decision by the end of July on whether Google complies with the DMA. Breaches can cost companies fines worth as much ⁠as 10% of their annual global sales. Earlier this month, Google was also given instructions on how to allow rival search engines including AI chatbots access its search data as part of its DMA compliance efforts. Reporting by Foo Yun Chee, editing by Inti Landauro Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles., opens new tab * Suggested Topics: * Boards, Policy & Regulation * Data Privacy * Regulatory Oversight * Antitrust Foo Yun Chee Thomson Reuters An agenda-setting and market-moving journalist, Foo Yun Chee is a 21-year veteran at Reuters. Her stories on high profile mergers have pushed up the European telecoms index, lifted companies' shares and helped investors decide on their next move. Her knowledge and experience of European antitrust laws and developments helped her break stories on Microsoft, Google, Amazon, Meta and Apple, numerous market-moving mergers and antitrust investigations. She has previously reported on Greek politics and companies, when Greece's entry into the eurozone meant it punched above its weight on the international stage, as well as on Dutch corporate giants and the quirks of Dutch society and culture that never fail to charm readers.

Google Faces EU Pressure to Open Up Android to Gemini Rivals

Google faces ramped up European Union pressure to lift barriers to rival AI search assistants on Android handsets in an escalation that the US giant fears could compromise users' security and privacy. EU watchdogs are poised to lay out what Alphabet unit must do to grant the likes of ChatGPT and Anthropic PBC's Claude access to the same features on Android as those available to Google's own Gemini, according to people familiar with the matter. The people added that the findings were still in draft form and timing could yet slip. The procedural step comes under the bloc's Digital Markets Act -- which establishes a series of dos and don'ts for Big Tech firms and has provoked the ire of White House, being slammed by President Donald Trump as unfairly targeting American companies. Both the European Commission and Google declined to comment. While the coming findings are a step shy of a formal investigation, the EU aims to pressure Google to re-engineer its services to allow rival companies to access key features in Android's operating system. Google's Gemini enjoys access to core features on Android, including integration and communication with a range of apps. The people familiar with the matter said the EU's draft findings are set to specify how rival AI services should be granted an equally effective level of access to Android features -- such as voice activation and certain search tools, as well as the ability to integrate rival AI apps with other Android software. But any such move is likely to be met with criticism from Google. When the Brussels-based European Commission launched the proceedings earlier this year, the company said it was concerned the efforts could "compromise user privacy, security, and innovation." The EU could later decide to launch a formal probe if Google doesn't step into line -- a move that comes with its own threat of financial penalties. The Mountain View, California firm has come in for fines totaling close to €9.5 billion from the EU for abusing its dominance over the years.

EU prepares to force Google to open Android to ChatGPT and Claude under Digital Markets Act

The European Commission is preparing to tell Google exactly how it must open Android to rival AI assistants, escalating a regulatory confrontation that will determine whether artificial intelligence becomes the next great platform lock-in or the first to be broken before it sets. EU watchdogs are poised to lay out what Alphabet must do to grant the likes of OpenAI's ChatGPT and Anthropic's Claude access to the same Android features that Google reserves for Gemini, including voice activation, system-level search integration, and the ability to interoperate with other Android software, Bloomberg reported on Wednesday. The draft findings are part of specification proceedings opened under the Digital Markets Act in January, and they arrive at the precise moment Google is completing Gemini's takeover of the Android assistant experience for more than two billion devices worldwide. Google has said it is concerned the measures could "compromise user privacy, security, and innovation." The Commission's position is that a company controlling roughly 65% of Europe's mobile operating system market cannot be the sole arbiter of which AI gets to talk to the phone. The Commission opened two parallel specification proceedings on 27 January 2026, each targeting a different obligation under the DMA. The first, under Article 6(7), concerns interoperability: Google must provide third-party AI developers with "free and effective interoperability" to the Android hardware and software features that Gemini uses. The second, under Article 6(11), concerns data: Google must share anonymised search ranking, query, click, and view data with rival search engines and, critically, with AI chatbot providers on fair, reasonable, and non-discriminatory terms. On 16 April, the Commission told Google what it must do to share search data with rivals, publishing preliminary findings in a 29-page specification document that defines at the field level what data must flow, how it must be anonymised, how it may be priced, and what auditing regime will govern it. A public consultation on those measures runs until 1 May. The Android AI interoperability proceedings, tracked separately as case DMA.100220, are following a parallel timeline. Bloomberg's report suggests the Commission's draft findings on that track are imminent. The final binding decision on both must be adopted by 27 July 2026. Henna Virkkunen, the EU's Executive Vice-President for Tech Sovereignty, Security and Democracy, announced the proceedings in January. Teresa Ribera, the Commission's competition chief, framed the rationale plainly: "We want to maximise the potential and the benefits of this profound technological shift by making sure the playing field is open and fair, not tilted in favour of the largest few." The interoperability question is the more consequential of the two proceedings. Search data sharing, while commercially significant, is a question of inputs. Android interoperability is a question of position. Today, a user who downloads ChatGPT or Claude on an Android phone gets an app. A user who uses Gemini gets an operating system feature. Gemini can be invoked by holding the power button or saying "Hey Google." It can read the screen, interact with other apps, and access system-level functions that third-party assistants cannot. The DMA's Article 6(7) says that asymmetry is not allowed if Google is using it to favour its own services. The Commission intends to specify how Google must grant rival AI providers equally effective access to those same capabilities. That could mean letting users set ChatGPT or Claude as the default system assistant, giving third-party AI services the same hooks into voice activation and always-on listening, and allowing rivals to integrate with Gmail, Calendar, and other Google apps in the way Gemini does natively. It is the difference between being an app in a drawer and being the intelligence layer of the phone. Google argues that "Android is open by design" and points to the fact that users can already download any AI app from the Play Store. The Commission's implicit response is that availability is not the same as access. An AI assistant that cannot be triggered by voice, cannot read what is on the screen, and cannot interact with the operating system's core apps is not competing on equal terms, regardless of whether it is available for download. Google delayed the full transition from Google Assistant to Gemini on Android from 2025 to 2026, with the final Assistant shutdown on mobile targeted for March 2026. The regulatory proceedings opened the same month. As Google completes the process of making Gemini the default AI experience on every Android phone, the Commission is simultaneously defining the terms on which rivals must be allowed to occupy that same position. The two timelines are on a collision course, with the binding decision due in July and Gemini's entrenchment deepening with every software update. The broader DMA enforcement picture adds pressure. The Commission already found Google in breach of DMA obligations regarding search self-preferencing in 2024 and opened separate non-compliance proceedings over the Play Store's anti-steering rules. The competition concerns raised by Google's AI partnerships, including the UK Competition and Markets Authority's investigation into Google's $2 billion investment in Anthropic, suggest that regulators across jurisdictions see Google's position in AI as an extension of its existing market power rather than a fresh competitive start. Meanwhile, the Court of Justice of the European Union is expected to rule on Google's appeal of the original 2018 Android antitrust fine, reduced to €4.125 billion by a lower court in 2022. In June 2025, the court's Advocate General recommended rejecting the appeal. If the CJEU upholds the fine, it will confirm as settled law the principle that Google illegally tied its services to Android, the same principle the DMA now codifies as a forward-looking obligation. The old case and the new proceedings are bookends of the same argument, separated by eight years and the arrival of AI. Google is not the only gatekeeper navigating DMA obligations around AI assistants. Apple was hit hard by EU rules and delayed its Apple Intelligence suite in Europe over DMA interoperability concerns. In response, Apple began allowing EU users to set a default voice assistant other than Siri under iOS 26.2, and Bloomberg reported in March that Apple plans to open Siri to rival AI services beyond its existing ChatGPT partnership in iOS 27. The pattern is consistent: both platform owners are being forced to treat AI assistants as a contestable layer rather than a proprietary feature. The difference is that Apple is moving pre-emptively, however reluctantly, while Google is arguing that the requirements are unnecessary. That strategic divergence may matter. The DMA gives the Commission the power to impose fines of up to 10% of global annual turnover for non-compliance, rising to 20% for repeat offenders. For Alphabet, 10% of turnover would exceed $30 billion. The specification proceedings are technically neutral on compliance, the Commission frames them as "assisting" Google in meeting its obligations, but the enforcement machinery behind them is not. The debate over whether EU regulation helps or hinders AI competition is not settled. European AI startups raised $52 billion in 2024 against $209 billion in the United States, a gap that critics of the DMA argue regulation will widen. The counterargument, which the Commission is making in practice if not always in rhetoric, is that a market in which Google, Apple, and Microsoft can embed their AI assistants at the operating system level while rivals are confined to app stores is not a market that will produce European AI champions regardless of how much venture capital is available. Access to the platform is a precondition for competition, not a barrier to innovation. The tension between regulation and competitiveness is real. The Commission's Digital Omnibus package has proposed amendments to the AI Act and GDPR, acknowledging that Europe's regulatory framework may need loosening to keep pace with American and Chinese AI development. But the DMA proceedings against Google represent a different bet: that the problem is not too much regulation but too little enforcement of the regulation that exists. If Google can make Gemini the default intelligence layer of two billion phones without giving rivals equivalent access, the AI market will be decided not by which model is best but by which company owns the operating system. The Commission has until July to decide whether that outcome is acceptable. The draft findings suggest it is not.

EU tells Google to open Android to AI rivals

Brussels (Belgium) (AFP) - The EU on Monday laid out measures it wants Google to take to open up its operating system to rival AI services, in a move slammed by the US tech giant. "The proposed measures aim to ensure that competing AI services can effectively interact with applications on users' Android devices and execute tasks accordingly, such as sending an email using the user's preferred email app, ordering food or sharing a photo with friends," the European Commission said. Under the EU's flagship Digital Markets Act (DMA), the world's biggest tech companies must open up to competition to give consumers more options and limit abuses linked to market dominance. US President Donald Trump's government has railed against the law and its sister content moderation law the Digital Services Act, accusing Brussels of unfairly targeting US firms. Brussels said that the proposals for Google "will provide Android users across the EU with a wider choice of AI services." But Google hit back, saying that the "unwarranted intervention" risks "unnecessarily driving up costs while undermining critical privacy and security protections for European users." The latest step by the EU represents part of its preliminary conclusions from a process launched in January. The procedure involving Google is not a formal investigation that could lead to fines. But if Brussels is not satisfied with Google's efforts, it can later conclude the company is not complying. And any DMA violations can lead to fines of up to 10 percent of a company's total global turnover. Google is already the subject of several formal DMA probes, and was hit with a massive 2.95 billion euro fine in September 2025 in an EU competition case predating the digital law.

Google Gets Pointers From EU Regulators on Helping AI Rivals Access Services

BRUSSELS, April 27 (Reuters) - Alphabet's Google ⁠was ⁠given pointers by EU antitrust ⁠regulators on Monday on how to help online search rivals and artificial intelligence developers access its services such as those available to its Gemini AI model under rules aimed at reining in Big Tech. The move by the European Commission, which acts as the EU competition enforcer, ⁠came three ⁠months after the regulator opened a so-called specification proceeding to assist the world's most popular internet search engine comply with the Digital Markets Act. "Today's proposed measures will give more choice to Android users about the AI services they use and integrate in their phone, including from the vast range of AI services that compete with Google's own AI," ⁠EU ⁠antitrust chief Teresa Ribera said ⁠in a statement. Google criticised the EU proposal, saying Android has an open ecosystem enabling AI assistants to thrive and device makers ⁠to have full autonomy to customise their AI services. "This unwarranted intervention would strip away that autonomy, mandate access to sensitive hardware and device permissions; unnecessarily driving up costs while undermining critical privacy and security protections for European users," Clare Kelly, the company's Senior Competition Counsel, ⁠said in an email. Regulators said Google currently keeps the use of key capabilities ⁠in its Android mobile operating system for its Gemini AI service on smartphones and tablets. They said the proposed measures would ensure that competing AI services can effectively interact with applications on users' Android devices and execute tasks accordingly, such as sending an email using the user's preferred email app, ordering food or sharing a photo with friends. The Commission said third parties have until May 13 to provide feedback before it issues a final decision by the end of July ⁠on whether Google complies with the DMA. Breaches can cost companies fines worth as much as 10% of their annual global sales. Earlier this month, Google was also given instructions on how to allow rival search engines including AI chatbots access its search data as part of its DMA compliance efforts. (Reporting by Foo Yun Chee, editing by Inti Landauro)

Google gets pointers from EU regulators on helping AI rivals access services

The European Commission has unveiled new guidelines for Google, aimed at ensuring that its competitors can access key services, thereby promoting fair competition in online search and AI technology. This initiative is a critical component of the implementation of the Digital Markets Act, designed to level the playing field in the digital arena. Alphabet's Google was given pointers by EU antitrust regulators on Monday on how to help online search rivals and artificial intelligence developers access its services such as those available to its Gemini AI model under rules aimed at reining in Big Tech. The move by the European Commission, which acts as the EU competition enforcer, came three ⁠months after ⁠the regulator opened a so-called specification proceeding to assist the world's most popular internet search engine comply with the Digital Markets Act. "Today's proposed measures will give more choice to Android users about the AI services they use and integrate in their phone, including from the vast range of AI services that compete with Google's own AI," EU antitrust chief Teresa Ribera said in a statement. Google criticised ⁠the EU proposal, saying Android has an open ecosystem enabling AI assistants to thrive and device makers to have full autonomy to customise their AI ⁠services. "This unwarranted intervention would strip away that autonomy, mandate access to sensitive hardware and device permissions; unnecessarily driving up costs while undermining critical privacy and security protections for European users," Clare Kelly, the company's Senior Competition Counsel, said in an email. Regulators said Google currently keeps the use of key capabilities in its Android mobile operating system for its Gemini AI service on smartphones and tablets. They said the proposed measures would ensure that competing AI services can effectively interact with applications on users' Android devices and execute tasks accordingly, such as sending an email using the user's preferred email app, ⁠ordering food or sharing a photo with friends. The Commission said third parties have until May 13 to provide feedback before it issues a final decision by the end of July on whether Google complies with the DMA. Breaches can cost companies fines worth as much as 10% of their annual global sales. Earlier this month, Google was also given instructions on how to allow rival search engines including AI chatbots access its search data as part of its DMA compliance efforts.

EU pressures Google to open Android to rival AI assistants

European Union regulators are increasing pressure on Google. They want the tech giant to allow rival AI search assistants equal access to Android features. This move aims to benefit services like ChatGPT and Claude. Google fears this could impact user security and privacy. The EU's Digital Markets Act is driving these demands. Google faces ramped up European Union pressure to lift barriers to rival AI search assistants on Android handsets in an escalation that the US giant fears could compromise users' security and privacy. EU watchdogs are poised to lay out what the Alphabet unit must do to grant the likes of ChatGPT and Anthropic PBC's Claude access to the same features on Android as those available to Google's own Gemini, according to people familiar with the matter. The people added that the findings were still in draft form and timing could yet slip. Also Read: Europe risks falling behind US, China on AI data centre build-up, Nokia CEO says The procedural step comes under the bloc's Digital Markets Act - which establishes a series of dos and don'ts for Big Tech firms and has provoked the ire of White House, being slammed by President Donald Trump as unfairly targeting American companies. Both the European Commission and Google declined to comment. While the coming findings are a step shy of a formal investigation, the EU aims to pressure Google to re-engineer its services to allow rival companies to access key features in Android's operating system. Google's Gemini enjoys access to core features on Android, including integration and communication with a range of apps. Also Read: Germany's Friedrich Merz says industrial AI needs less stringent EU regulation The people familiar with the matter said the EU's draft findings are set to specify how rival AI services should be granted an equally effective level of access to Android features.

Google Faces New EU Pressure to Give AI Rivals Android Access | PYMNTS.com

The demands will be part of the Commission's effort to get the tech giant to allow other AI assistants to use the same voice activation, search tools and other Android features that Google's own Gemini assistant uses, according to the report. If Google does not comply with the demands when they are issued, the company could face a formal European Union probe that could result in financial penalties, the report said. When the EU announced in January that it was launching an effort to pressure Google to remove barriers to other AI assistants, the company said it was concerned that such a move could "compromise user privacy, security and innovation," per the report. In the January announcement, the European Commission said it opened two formal specification proceedings aimed at clarifying how Google must meet key obligations under the Digital Markets Act (DMA). The Commission said the move is intended to guide the company in adjusting its business practices while ensuring that competitors are able to operate on equal terms within the digital marketplace. One of those cases focuses on Google's duties under the DMA to offer free and effective interoperability to third-party developers for hardware and software features managed through its Android operating system, the Commission said, adding that the current discussions center on technical functions used by Google's own AI tools. The Commission said in the January announcement that it expected to send Google its preliminary findings and outline proposed measures intended to ensure compliance with the DMA within three months and then complete the proceedings within six months. In another, separate case, the European Commission announced April 16 that it released proposed measures it wants Google to implement to make its data available to rival search engines. The Commission said that its goal is to enable third-party search engines to optimize their search services and contest Google's position in the search market.

Google gets pointers from EU regulators on helping AI rivals access services

Alphabet's Google was given pointers by EU antitrust regulators on Monday on how to help online search rivals and artificial intelligence developers access its services such as those available to its Gemini AI model under rules aimed at reining in Big Tech. The move by the European Commission, which acts as the EU competition enforcer, came three months after the regulator opened a so-called specification proceeding to assist the world's most popular internet search engine comply with the Digital Markets Act. "Today's proposed measures will give more choice to Android users about the AI services they use and integrate in their phone, including from the vast range of AI services that compete with Google's own AI," EU antitrust chief Teresa Ribera said in a statement. Google criticized the EU proposal, saying Android has an open ecosystem enabling AI assistants to thrive and device makers to have full autonomy to customize their AI services. "This unwarranted intervention would strip away that autonomy, mandate access to sensitive hardware and device permissions; unnecessarily driving up costs while undermining critical privacy and security protections for European users," Clare Kelly, the company's Senior Competition Counsel, said in an email. Regulators said Google currently keeps the use of key capabilities in its Android mobile operating system for its Gemini AI service on smartphones and tablets. They said the proposed measures would ensure that competing AI services can effectively interact with applications on users' Android devices and execute tasks accordingly, such as sending an email using the user's preferred email app, ordering food or sharing a photo with friends. The Commission said third parties have until May 13 to provide feedback before it issues a final decision by the end of July on whether Google complies with the DMA. Breaches can cost companies fines worth as much as 10 per cent of their annual global sales. Earlier this month, Google was also given instructions on how to allow rival search engines including AI chatbots access its search data as part of its DMA compliance efforts. ---

Brussels seeks to open Android further to Gemini rivals

The European Commission has presented a series of measures on Monday, which are intended to force the American group to further open Android to artificial intelligence services competing with Gemini. This aims to ensure that users can more easily integrate other services, such as ChatGPT or Claude, into their daily smartphone usage. According to Brussels, Google currently reserves certain key Android features for Gemini, giving its LLM an unfair advantage within the mobile ecosystem. The proposed measures are intended to enable competing assistants to interact effectively with applications installed on Android devices, for example to send an email via the user's preferred app, order a meal, or share a photo. This warning falls under the framework of the European Digital Markets Act (DMA), which came into force in March 2024 and targets large platforms considered digital "gatekeepers." Android, which powers approximately 70% of smartphones in Europe, is amongst the services concerned. Google, however, rejects the analysis from Brussels, asserting that Android is already an open ecosystem and believes that the contemplated new obligations could increase costs, reduce manufacturer autonomy, and weaken user privacy and security protections. Interested parties have until May 13 to respond to the public consultation. The Commission is expected to issue its final decision by the end of July. In the event of non-compliance with the DMA, Google faces a fine of up to 10% of its annual global turnover, which could reignite tensions between Brussels and Washington.

EU Tells Google to Open Android to AI Rivals -- Update

The European Union told Alphabet's Google what it should do to open up its Android operating system to artificial-intelligence services that compete with its own, the latest move by the bloc to rein in the search giant's market power. The European Commission, the bloc's executive arm, said Monday that Google should ensure competing AI services can "effectively interact" with applications on Android devices. Those services should be able to execute tasks such as sending an email using the user's preferred email app, order from delivery apps or share photos with the user's friends, the commission said. Android already enables AI assistants to thrive, said Clare Kelly, Google's senior competition counsel. "Device makers have full autonomy to integrate and customize the AI experiences their users want," Kelly said. "This unwarranted intervention would strip away that autonomy, mandate access to sensitive hardware and device permissions, unnecessarily driving up costs while undermining critical privacy and security protections for European users." The Commission said it invited interested parties to comment via public consultation, a process open until May 13. The EU's competition watchdog opened proceedings in January to instruct Google on how to comply with the bloc's Digital Markets Act, which obliges the world's largest tech companies to make it easier for rivals to compete with their widely used services such as app stores and smartphone operating systems. Companies can receive fines of up to 10% of their annual worldwide turnover if the commission decides they are in breach of the rules.

EU Tells Google to Open Up Android to AI Rivals

The European Union told Alphabet's Google what it should do to open up its Android operating system to artificial-intelligence services that compete with its own, the latest move by the bloc to rein in the search giant's market power. The European Commission, the bloc's executive arm, said Monday that Google should ensure competing AI services can "effectively interact" with applications on Android devices. Those services should be able to execute tasks such as sending an email using the user's preferred email app, order from delivery apps or share photos with the user's friends, the commission said. Android already enables AI assistants to thrive, said Clare Kelly, Google's senior competition counsel. "Device makers have full autonomy to integrate and customize the AI experiences their users want," Kelly said. "This unwarranted intervention would strip away that autonomy, mandate access to sensitive hardware and device permissions, unnecessarily driving up costs while undermining critical privacy and security protections for European users." The Commission said it invited interested parties to comment via public consultation, a process open until May 13.

Google gets pointers from EU regulators on helping AI rivals access services

BRUSSELS, April 27 (Reuters) - Alphabet's Google was given pointers by EU antitrust regulators on Monday on how to help online search rivals and artificial intelligence developers access its services such as those available to its Gemini AI model under rules aimed at reining in Big Tech. The move by the European Commission, which acts as the EU competition enforcer, came three months after the regulator opened a so-called specification proceeding to assist the world's most popular internet search engine comply with the Digital Markets Act. "Today's proposed measures will give more choice to Android users about the AI services they use and integrate in their phone, including from the vast range of AI services that compete with Google's own AI," EU antitrust chief Teresa Ribera said in a statement. Google criticised the EU proposal, saying Android has an open ecosystem enabling AI assistants to thrive and device makers to have full autonomy to customise their AI services. "This unwarranted intervention would strip away that autonomy, mandate access to sensitive hardware and device permissions; unnecessarily driving up costs while undermining critical privacy and security protections for European users," Clare Kelly, the company's Senior Competition Counsel, said in an email. Regulators said Google currently keeps the use of key capabilities in its Android mobile operating system for its Gemini AI service on smartphones and tablets. They said the proposed measures would ensure that competing AI services can effectively interact with applications on users' Android devices and execute tasks accordingly, such as sending an email using the user's preferred email app, ordering food or sharing a photo with friends. The Commission said third parties have until May 13 to provide feedback before it issues a final decision by the end of July on whether Google complies with the DMA. Breaches can cost companies fines worth as much as 10% of their annual global sales. Earlier this month, Google was also given instructions on how to allow rival search engines including AI chatbots access its search data as part of its DMA compliance efforts. (Reporting by Foo Yun Chee, editing by Inti Landauro)