As the trial of Google’s antitrust case began on Monday, an attorney of the US Department of Justice remarked that strong measures are required to prevent Google from using its AI products to extend its dominance in online search. The remarks were directed toward Google’s Gemini, which is leading the generative AI market.
Opening Remarks of the Trial
DOJ attorney David Dahlquist said in his opening statement
“Now is the time to tell Google and all other monopolists who are out there listening, and they are listening, that there are consequences when you break the antitrust laws,"
He further added
"This court's remedy should be forward-looking and not ignore what is on the horizon,"
Meanwhile, Google's lawyer, John Schmidtlein, said in his opening statement
“AI competitors would like handouts as well even though they are competing just fine,"
Google Antitrust Case
The Department of Justice is figuring out an order that will require Google to sell its Chrome browser and take other measures to end its monopoly in online search. Prosecutors have compared the lawsuit to previous cases that resulted in the breakup of AT&T and Standard Oil.
The board coalition of state attorneys general and the DOJ are looking for remedies to restore competition even when search evolves to overlap with generative AI products such as DeepSeek and ChatGPT.
Google-Samsung Deal
Google has agreed to pay Samsung monthly to install Google's Gemini AI app on smartphones. The deal is valid till 2028, while the financial terms are not disclosed. Previously, U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta ruled that Google's exclusive agreements with device makers to be the default search engine helped maintain its monopoly.
