Latest news with #Dahlquist
Axios
3 days ago
- Business
- Axios
AI looms large as judge weighs remedies in Google Search antitrust case
The federal judge deciding how to remedy Google's dominance in online search repeatedly questioned how AI will impact future competition in the search market, as both Google and the Justice Department made final arguments in court Friday. Why it matters: At the endpoint of a historic tech antitrust case, there are still key questions about how online search works, what AI's role is and what Google owes its competitors in a landscape that has changed dramatically since the case was filed in 2020. Federal Judge Amit Mehta, residing over the case, has a gargantuan task in front of him: decide how to fix Google's search monopoly in an ever-changing market being upended by AI. The big picture: The case's conclusion is coming at a critical juncture as generative AI changes how people search the web and as Google shifts its main focus from traditional web search to AI products. It's also part of Trump administration continuing to flex its anti- Big Tech muscle in a case that has bipartisan support. Google has repeatedly argued people use Google Chrome because they like it; and that the companies it enters into exclusive distribution contracts with, like Mozilla, Samsung and Apple, benefit greatly. The government wants the judge to force Google to spin off Chrome, ban it from using its AI tools to further entrench its monopoly and to stop having exclusive browser and smartphone deals. What they're saying:"Do you think someone is going to come off the sidelines and build a new general search engine in light of what we are now seeing happen in the AI space?" Judge Mehta asked DOJ lawyer David Dahlquist. He asked Dahlquist if products like OpenAI, Claude and Perplexity fall outside the search engine market. Dahlquist said they do fall outside the market at question in this case, but feels that will change in the future. The other side:"Generative AI companies are not trying to out-Google Google," said Google attorney John Schmidtlein. "They are not general search engines... they are something else." "I would imagine [companies like OpenAI] are telling all of their large, massive investors, they're not a general search engine," Schmidtlein said. Inside the room:"This is a market that's been frozen in place for the best part of two decades," a senior DOJ official told reporters outside the courtroom, adding that a Chrome divestiture should be considered. "There's sufficient evidence there for a Chrome divestiture, and the judge has already found them liable. In the general search market, 30% of search queries go through that Chrome browser... So to me, it's a logical remedy," the official said
Ammon
22-04-2025
- Business
- Ammon
Google could use AI to extend search monopoly, DOJ says as trial begins
Ammon News - Alphabet's Google needs strong measures imposed on it to prevent it from using its artificial intelligence products to extend its dominance in online search, a U.S. Department of Justice attorney said as a trial in the historic antitrust case began on outcome of the case could fundamentally reshape the internet by unseating Google as the go-to portal for information Justice Department is seeking an order that would require Google to sell its Chrome browser and take other measures to end what a judge found was its monopoly in online search. Prosecutors have compared the lawsuit to past cases that resulted in the break up of AT&T and Standard 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," DOJ attorney David Dahlquist said during his opening DOJ and a broad coalition of state attorneys general are pressing for remedies they believe will restore competition even as search evolves to overlap with generative AI products such as ChatGPT."This court's remedy should be forward-looking and not ignore what is on the horizon," Dahlquist search monopoly helps improve its AI products, which are also a way to lead users to its search engine, he has agreed to pay Samsung ( opens new tab monthly to install Google's Gemini AI app on devices such as smartphones, a deal that can be extended into 2028, according to documents shown at trial. The financial terms were not disclosed, but Dahlquist characterized the monthly amount as an "enormous sum."U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta previously ruled that Google's exclusive agreements with device makers to be the default search engine helped maintain its Turley, OpenAI's product head for rival AI app ChatGPT, was expected to take the stand on lawyer, John Schmidtlein, said in his opening statement that the DOJ's proposals amount to "a wishlist for competitors looking to get the benefits of Google's extraordinary innovations."AI competitors "would like handouts as well even though they are competing just fine," he argues that its AI products are outside the scope of the case, which focused on search engines. Adopting the proposed remedies "would hold back American innovation at a critical juncture," Google executive Lee-Anne Mulholland said in a blog post on company has said it will appeal once a final judgment is entered. Reuters
Time of India
22-04-2025
- Business
- Time of India
How antitrust case against Google may hurt company's AI products
Google's bet on artificial intelligence (AI) may be under threat as the US Department of Justice (DOJ) has argued that Google's alleged dominance in online search poses a significant threat to fair competition in the flourishing AI market. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now A DOJ attorney asserted that without stringent measures, the tech giant could leverage its AI products to further establish its search monopoly. According to news agency Reuters, DOJ attorney David Dahlquist is pushing for remedies designed to foster competition in the evolving search environment, particularly as it increasingly intersects with generative AI products such as ChatGPT. 'This court's remedy should be forward-looking and not ignore what is on the horizon,' Dahlquist said, adding that Google's established search monopoly provides an unfair advantage in the development and improvement of its AI products. Conversely, these AI products can also serve as a strategic avenue to funnel users back to its dominant search engine, creating a self-reinforcing cycle of market control, he added. Google says AI products fall outside the current case purview Countering the DOJ's arguments, Google's lawyer, John Schmidtlein, dismissed the proposed remedies as 'a wishlist for competitors looking to get the benefits of Google's extraordinary innovations.' He argued that AI competitors are 'competing just fine' and are seeking 'handouts.' AI competitors 'would like handouts as well even though they are competing just fine,' he said. Google contends that its AI products fall outside the purview of the current antitrust case, which primarily focuses on traditional search engines. In a blog post published on Sunday, Google executive Lee-Anne Mulholland asserted that adopting the proposed remedies 'would hold back American innovation at a critical juncture.' Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Antitrust enforcers have put forward a series of potentially transformative measures aimed at rapidly opening up the search market and providing a competitive edge to newcomers. These proposals include terminating Google's exclusive default search agreements with major tablet and smartphone manufacturers like Apple.
RNZ News
22-04-2025
- Business
- RNZ News
Historic trial begins into Google's internet search monopoly
By Jody Godoy , Reuters Photo: Unsplash Alphabet's Google needs strong measures imposed on it to prevent it from using its artificial intelligence products to extend its dominance in online search, a US Department of Justice attorney said as a trial in the historic antitrust case began on Monday (US time). The outcome of the case could fundamentally reshape the internet by unseating Google as the go-to portal for information online. The Justice Department is seeking an order that would require Google to sell its Chrome browser and take other measures to end what a judge found was its monopoly in online search. Prosecutors have compared the lawsuit to past cases that resulted in the break up of AT&T and Standard Oil. 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," DOJ attorney David Dahlquist said during his opening statement. The DOJ and a broad coalition of state attorneys general are pressing for remedies they believe will restore competition even as search evolves to overlap with generative AI products such as ChatGPT. "This court's remedy should be forward-looking and not ignore what is on the horizon," Dahlquist said. Google's search monopoly helps improve its AI products, which are also a way to lead users to its search engine, he said. Google has agreed to pay Samsung monthly to install Google's Gemini AI app on devices such as smartphones, a deal that can be extended into 2028, according to documents shown at trial. The financial terms were not disclosed, but Dahlquist characterized the monthly amount as an "enormous sum." US District Judge Amit Mehta previously ruled that Google's exclusive agreements with device makers to be the default search engine helped maintain its monopoly. Nick Turley, OpenAI's product head for rival AI app ChatGPT, was expected to take the stand on Tuesday. Google's lawyer, John Schmidtlein, said in his opening statement that the DOJ's proposals amount to "a wishlist for competitors looking to get the benefits of Google's extraordinary innovations." AI competitors "would like handouts as well even though they are competing just fine," he said. Google argues that its AI products are outside the scope of the case, which focused on search engines. Adopting the proposed remedies "would hold back American innovation at a critical juncture," Google executive Lee-Anne Mulholland said in a blog post on Sunday. The company has said it will appeal once a final judgment is entered. Antitrust enforcers have proposed far-reaching measures designed to quickly open the search market and give new competitors a leg up. Their proposals include ending Google's exclusive agreements with tablet and smartphone makers like Apple to make Google the default search engine on their devices. Google would also have to license search results to competitors, among other requirements. The DOJ has proposed that, if other remedies fail to restore competition, Google would be forced to sell its Android mobile operating system. Google said the court should stick to making its default agreements non-exclusive. Ending Google's payments to device makers and browser developers would raise the cost of smartphones and jeopardize the existence of companies like Mozilla, which rely on the revenue to operate, Google claims. Google plans to call witnesses from Mozilla, Verizon and Apple, which launched a failed bid to intervene in the case. The case is part of an antitrust crackdown on Big Tech started during the first Trump administration that shows no signs of slowing, despite overtures tech companies and their executives have made to the White House. Assistant Attorney General Gail Slater and other DOJ antitrust officials were in the courtroom to show that the case, started under Trump and carried forward under former President Joe Biden, proposes "nonpartisan" remedies and has "the full support of the DOJ both past and present," Dahlquist said. Slater celebrated a win in another antitrust case against Google on Thursday over advertising technology. The case was filed during Biden's term. Meta Platforms is facing its own antitrust trial over the acquisitions of Instagram and WhatsApp. - Reuters
The Hindu
22-04-2025
- Business
- The Hindu
Google could use AI to extend search monopoly, DOJ says as trial begins
Alphabet's Google needs strong measures imposed on it to prevent it from using its artificial intelligence products to extend its dominance in online search, a U.S. Department of Justice attorney said as trial in the historic antitrust case began on Monday. The outcome of the trial could fundamentally reshape the internet by unseating Google as the go-to portal for information online. The DOJ has compared the lawsuit to its past efforts to break up AT&T, Microsoft and Standard Oil. "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," DOJ attorney David Dahlquist said during his opening statement. The DOJ and a broad coalition of state attorneys general seek to force Google to sell off its Chrome browser and take other measures to restore competition even as search evolves to overlap with generative AI products such as ChatGPT. "This court's remedy should be forward-looking and not ignore what is on the horizon," Dahlquist said. Witnesses from Perplexity AI and OpenAI will testify about how search and AI overlap and how Google's dominance affects their business, Dahlquist said. Google argues that its AI products are outside the scope of the case, which focused on search engines. Adopting the proposed remedies "would hold back American innovation at a critical juncture," Google executive Lee-Anne Mulholland said in a blog post on Sunday. The company plans to appeal the final ruling in the case. Antitrust enforcers have proposed far-reaching measures designed to quickly open the search market and give new competitors a leg up. Their proposals include ending exclusive agreements in which Google pays billions of dollars annually to Apple and other device vendors to make Google the default search engine on their tablets and smartphones. Google would also have to license search results to competitors, among other requirements. And it would be made to sell its Android mobile operating system if other remedies fail to restore competition. Google sees the proposals as extreme, and said the court should stick to limiting the terms of its default agreements. The $1.9 trillion tech company has been subsidizing browser makers such as Mozilla by paying to remain the default search engine. Cutting off that financial support could threaten their existence, Google says. And ending payments to device makers would raise the cost of smartphones, the company claims. Google plans to call witnesses from Mozilla, Verizon and Apple, which launched a failed bid to intervene in the case. Few potential buyers of Chrome have the same incentive as Google to maintain the free open-source code that underpins it, and which others including Microsoft use as a basis for their own browsers, the company says. The trial comes on the heels of a win for the DOJ in a Virginia court on Thursday where a judge ruled in a separate antitrust case that Google maintains an illegal monopoly in advertising technology. Meta Platforms is currently facing its own antitrust trial over the acquisitions of Instagram and WhatsApp.
