European Union regulators announced Wednesday that Alphabet’s Google must grant access to its services for AI competitors like OpenAI, as well as rival search engines, as part of sweeping rules designed to rein in the influence of major technology companies.
The European Commission, which serves as the EU’s competition watchdog, issued the detailed requirements six months after launching what are known as specification proceedings to help the world’s most widely used internet search engine come into compliance with the Digital Markets Act.
Google wasted no time expressing its opposition to the mandated changes. Kent Walker, Google’s lawyer, stated in an email: “Today’s decisions risk undermining vital privacy and security guardrails for millions of Europeans.”
Walker went on to say, “We have repeatedly offered solutions to safeguard users while satisfying the DMA’s goals, but these rulings discount extensive evidence of user harm.”
Under the new rules, Google will be required to open up 11 features within its Android operating system, giving AI rivals the ability to tap into key functions and better compete against Google’s own Gemini AI service.
In practical terms, this means smartphone users will be able to activate a competing AI assistant using voice commands — much like saying “hey Google” — to do things like hail a cab or look up local information. Those changes are expected to take effect for users starting in July 2027 with the next version of Android.
The Commission noted that the measures include strong safeguards for user privacy and device security, and that Google will only be required to extend those 11 features to competitors that meet established security and privacy standards.
The ruling also directs Google to share data it gathers to improve its own search results with OpenAI and other AI-powered chatbots that include search capabilities. That data must be anonymized before being shared.
Google will have the opportunity to first evaluate whether competitors present cybersecurity or data protection concerns before granting access. This portion of the decision takes effect in January of next year and includes a set formula for determining how much rivals must pay for the shared data.
EU tech chief Henna Virkkunen expressed optimism about the outcome, saying in a statement: “Thanks to these measures we hope to see emerging alternatives to Google Search and Google’s AI services, such as Gemini, and that users in the EU can enjoy greater choice of services.”
