European Union regulators are proposing to require Google to ensure that third-party artificial intelligence services have equal access to key Android features, in a move that Brussels says would broaden choice for users and increase competition in the AI market.
Bloomberg writes about this.
The European Commission has presented a series of proposals aimed at opening up the Android ecosystem to artificial intelligence services that compete with Google's products.
This is a requirement that third-party artificial intelligence services can effectively interact with applications on Android devices and perform the same tasks as the company's own solutions.
The European Commission says the proposed measures should give users more choice in which AI they integrate into their smartphones. In particular, regulators want competitors to have access to key features of the system — such as voice activation technology that allows you to launch AI-based assistants.
These proposals are currently only a preliminary step in the implementation of the European Union's Digital Markets Act. If Google fails to comply with the recommendations, the EU could launch a formal investigation, which could result in financial sanctions.
The company has already criticized the initiative, with a Google spokesperson saying that excessive intervention could increase costs and jeopardize mechanisms to protect the privacy and security of European users.
EU regulators have been actively enforcing the Digital Markets Act rules against large tech companies in recent years, with Apple and Meta among the companies previously fined.
Google itself has already paid fines totaling almost 9.5 billion euros in Europe for abusing its dominant market position over the years of antitrust investigations.