The European Commission has dealt a powerful blow to the monopoly of the tech giant by announcing new stringent requirements under the Digital Markets Act (DMA). Google will be forced to open its Android operating system to third-party artificial intelligences and share confidential search metrics with competitors. This decision radically changes the rules of the game in the digital services market.

The End of Exclusivity for Gemini

According to the new directives from Brussels, Google must provide external AI assistants with the same level of integration into Android that its proprietary assistant, Gemini, currently enjoys. At present, Google's system enjoys exclusive privileges on certified smartphones: it responds to voice activation commands, has deep access to the screen, and manages system automation.

Competitors are deprived of these capabilities, placing them in a clearly losing position. The European Commission requires that users be given the right to fully integrate any AI assistant of their choice without losing device system functions. This should stimulate competition and give users freedom of choice.

Access to the Search "Black Box"

The second blow to Google's business model concerns data access. The company will be forced to share search statistics and metrics with competing search engines and AI chat developers on transparent terms and for a reasonable fee.

Access to this data should help small companies compete more effectively with the monopolist, which has dominated the market for decades using closed information about user behavior.

Google's Response: Security Threat

The corporation reacted sharply and negatively to the European Commission's decision. The company's President for Global Affairs, Kent Walker, stated that the regulator's requirements "go too far".

According to Walker, providing deep access to Android to external AIs and transferring search data to third parties will destroy critical cybersecurity tools. Google asserts that these measures will create a threat to user privacy, trade secrets, and even national security, putting millions of Europeans at risk.

Deadlines and Consequences

Google has time to coordinate technical details and prepare infrastructure, but the deadlines are already set:

  • Exchange of search data with competitors must begin in January 2027.
  • Updating Android for full integration of third-party AIs must be implemented by July 2027.

Thus, over the next two years, we will see how one of the most closed ecosystems in the world will transform under regulatory pressure.