The European Commission has concluded its preliminary investigation into Google’s AI practices on Android, finding that the company gives its Gemini AI an unfair competitive advantage. Regulators are now moving to force Google to open up the platform to rival AI assistants, citing the Digital Markets Act.
Proposed Changes to Android AI
The EU is demanding that Google allow third party AI services to be invoked system wide via hotwords or button presses, just like Gemini. This includes granting access to screen context and local data for proactive suggestions, a feature currently exclusive to Google’s AI. The Commission also wants to mandate that developers get the necessary hardware access to run local AI models with high performance.
Google’s Objections and Timeline
Google calls the proposal an “unwarranted intervention” that would compromise security and privacy by forcing it to grant deep system access to competitors. The company warns this could drive up costs and undermine protections for European users. The public comment period ends May 13, with a final decision expected by July 27. Failure to comply could result in fines of up to 10 percent of Google’s annual global revenue.
Source: Arstechnica
