Google Says It Won’t Force Gemini on Partners in Antitrust Remedy Proposal

What if Google’s generative artificial intelligence Gemini Assistant The chatbot will surpass OpenAI’s ChatGPT in popularity in the coming years, but it may have to do so without some of the promotional partners that helped push Google searches to Americans Life front and center.

in the U.S. federal Court documents filed FridayAfterwards, Google proposed a series of restrictions that would prohibit the company from requiring its device manufacturers, browsers and wireless operator licensees to distribute Gemini to its US users for three years. Google will also provide these partners with greater flexibility in setting the default search provider for their users.

Google’s proposal counters calls last month by the U.S. Department of Justice for the company to not only loosen its grip on partners but also share more data with rivals and other companies. Spin off Chrome browser business. The company on Friday formally refuse Ideas to sell any business or provide more information to competitors. Its proposed limits could be understood to be narrower than those sought by the government.

The fight follows a ruling last August by U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta in Washington, D.C., who found: Google violated federal antitrust laws It strikes deals in which it becomes the default search provider on iOS and other software, often in exchange for sharing ad revenue with partners. Mehta found that presets helped Google gain and retain users, giving it a monopoly in both search and search advertising. The search giant was able to increase ad prices without restraint, driving “substantial revenue growth” and “very stable operating profits,” Mehta wrote in the ruling.

Now, Mehta must decide what penalties Google will face. He plans to hold hearings starting in April and expects to announce his decision by next August.

The emergence of ChatGPT, Gemini and similar chatbots as competitors to traditional search engines has loomed over court proceedings. The Justice Department and several state attorneys general involved in the case want to ensure that Google cannot transfer its dominance of old-school search to this emerging field.

But even if Mehta’s ruling is imminent, appeals are expected to follow. Any restrictions on Google could take years to take effect. This makes investors optimistic about the prospects of Google and its parent company Alphabet. The group’s shares have risen more than 37% in 2024 and are expected to post their eighth-highest annual gain since listing 20 years ago.

transfer of dominance

In this year’s experiment, Google attributed its dominance in search to developing experiences that users love. The Justice Department argued that users stuck with their phone and browser’s defaults (usually Google). The company’s proposal on Friday underscores that Google doesn’t want to lose these presets entirely. For example, it would allow Google to ensure default search status on certain Samsung phone models in the United States, while temporarily suspending the requirement that all such phone models do so.

Google may still reach a deal to promote Gemini. Nothing in Google’s proposal would prevent it from paying Samsung to promote Gemini on all of its devices. But under the proposed restrictions, Google won’t be able to require partners to promote Gemini as a condition of being able to distribute to the Search, Chrome or Google Play app stores. And it doesn’t stop partners from working with rival AI companies like OpenAI.