EU Compels Google To Share Its AI Data With Rivals

The European Commission has launched formal proceedings to force Google to give competitors fair access to its data for AI and search, a move intended to enforce the Digital Markets Act, as reported by Reuters. The non-punitive action is designed to clarify the rules of the road for the tech giant.

• Sharing is caring: The action centers on two fronts: prying open Android so third-party AI developers can use the same features as Google's own Gemini, and demanding the company open up its anonymized search data to competing engines. EU competition chief Teresa Ribera said the goal is to ensure the "playing field is open and fair, not tilted in favor of the largest few."

• Google's defense: Google maintains it is already compliant, with a company lawyer stating, "Android is open by design, and we’re already licensing search data to competitors under the DMA." The company argues that further rules, which it claims are driven by competitor grievances, could compromise user privacy and security.

The EU's action is just one front in a global regulatory squeeze on the tech giant, which is also appealing a 2024 U.S. court decision that branded its search business an illegal monopoly. With the EU proceedings set to conclude within six months, Google is facing a new set of hard-and-fast rules for how it must compete in Europe. But this isn't the EU's first look at Google's AI; late last year, it began a probe into how the company uses online content for training its models. The Digital Markets Act itself is part of a much larger European effort to regulate big tech platforms, including Apple and Amazon. Meanwhile, the U.S. is taking a different tack, partnering with tech giants on national AI initiatives like Project Stargate.