The European Union has introduced new requirements for Google, requiring the company to open parts of the Android ecosystem and Google Search to competing AI companies. The measures were adopted under the EU’s Digital Markets Act (DMA).
Today, Google’s Gemini AI is deeply integrated into Android smartphones, powering features such as voice commands and various system functions. Under the new rules, Google will be required to make these capabilities available to other AI developers as well.
This means that in the future, users may be able to choose AI assistants from companies such as OpenAI, Perplexity, and others as their default assistant on Android devices instead of being limited to Gemini.
Another major part of the decision concerns Google Search. The EU is requiring Google to share certain anonymized search data with competing search engines and AI companies. The goal is to give smaller companies access to the data they need to improve search engines and AI-powered services, helping create a more competitive market.
Google has criticized the new requirements. According to the company, the measures could negatively affect user privacy and security. Google also argues that forcing it to open infrastructure built through years of investment could reduce incentives for innovation.
The European Commission, however, says that any shared data will remain subject to strict privacy protections and regulatory safeguards.
