EU tells Google to open Android to AI competitors

The European Commission announced that it has sent its preliminary findings to Google as part of the specification proceedings it started on January 27 under the Digital Markets Act. These preliminary findings outline the draft measures Google should implement to ensure that third parties have effective access and interoperability with key capabilities of Android. “The proposed measures aim to ensure that competing AI services can effectively interact with applications on users’ Android devices and execute tasks accordingly, such as sending an email using the user’s preferred email app, ordering food or sharing a photo with friends. Currently, Google largely reserves these capabilities for use by its own AI offerings on Android phones and tablets. For example, the measures would allow competing AI services to be easily activated by users, using a custom ‘wake word’, a phrase that the user can speak to activate an AI service. The proposed measures will also enable competing providers of AI services to innovate and offer deeply integrated AI experiences to users on Android phones and tablets, along with Alphabet’s (GOOGL) (GOOG) own AI services, such as Gemini. Opening up access to these capabilities will provide Android users across the EU with a wider choice of AI services.”