EU Order Google to Make AI and Search Changes Under the DMA

The European Commission announced today that Google will need to make major changes to its AI and Search businesses. The goal, as is so often the case, is to prevent Google from abusing its dominant market positions to harm the competition.

“Today, the European Commission has issued two sets of binding specification measures to Google under the Digital Markets Act,” the Commission announcement explains. “The aim of the first specification measures is to ensure that competitors’ Artificial Intelligence (AI) services can compete with Google’s own AI services, such as Gemini, by having equal access to features on Google’s Android devices. The aim of the second specification measures is to rebalance the playing field by giving third-party search engines access to search data that only Google Search can collect at scale.”

The Commission points out that competing AI assistants are given restricted access to key functionality on Google’s dominant Android mobile platform while its own AI assistant, Gemini, gets full access. The EU is thus requiring Google to allow users to activate their preferred AI assistant use voice commands and access AI agents that work on their behalf while preserving user privacy and device integrity and security.

On the Search front, the Commission has specified how Google should share data from its even more dominant online search service with other search engines. Among the requirements, Google must open Search to AI chatbots in addition to search engines, share the data it uses to optimize its offering, and ensure the anonymization of the shared data. The EU has also specified ” a fair formula to calculate the price of the shared data, and a transparent process for accessing the data.”

These requirements are legally binding and Google must implement the changes to Android by July 2027 and the changes to Search by January 2027.

It’s fair to say that Google is not amused by these requirements.

“Today’s decisions risk undermining vital privacy and security guardrails for millions of Europeans,” Google president Kent Walker writes. “We have repeatedly offered solutions to safeguard users while satisfying the DMA’s goals, but these rulings discount extensive evidence of user harm … We will continue advocating for a balanced approach that protects privacy and security while supporting market goals.”

Google can appeal these changes, but it hasn’t said whether it will do so.