Latest news with #GeminiAIAssistant
New York Post
13 hours ago
- Business
- New York Post
UK regulators may force Google to open search engine to more competition as AI threat grows
British regulators said they may force Google to open its search engine to more competition — raising concerns that its budding use of artificial intelligence poses increasing threats to rivals and media companies alike. The UK's Competition and Markets Authority said Tuesday could slap Google with 'strategic market status' – a designation that would allow the watchdog agency to intervene. A final decision is expected by Oct. 13. The agency said it has 'heard concerns' during a probe into the situation, including 'higher costs of search advertising than would be expected in a more competitive market' and 'challenges' faced by publishers in securing fair compensation for their work. T Advertisement Google faces multiple pending antitrust suits in the US. Thaspol – he CMA also signaled that it would examine potential harm caused by Google's AI-related search products. The CMA identified several potential changes that could be ordered – including requiring 'choice screens' to allow users to easily access other search engines; barring Google from 'self-preferencing' its own services in search results; and giving publishers more control over how their content appears. 'The CMA's proposed [strategic market status] designation would include AI-based search features, though not Gemini AI Assistant itself,' the agency said in a statement. Advertisement As The Post has reported, Google has faced intense scrutiny in the US and abroad over its implementation of 'AI Overviews' – which place AI-generated summaries at the top of search results while burying external links to other sites. Google is also testing an 'AI Mode' in search, which answers user prompts like an AI chatbot rather than a traditional search engine. Google said the changes proposed by UK regulations 'could have significant implications for businesses and customers' in the country. Advertisement 'The CMA has today reiterated that 'strategic market status' does not imply that anti-competitive behavior has taken place — yet this announcement presents clear challenges to critical areas of our business in the UK,' said Oliver Bethell, Google's senior director for competition. 'We're concerned that the scope of the CMA's considerations remains broad and unfocused, with a range of interventions being considered before any evidence has been provided.' The move by UK regulators is yet another headache for Google, which has faced a crackdown in both the US and the European Union over its business practices. Advertisement US District Judge Amit Mehta will decide by August whether to break up Google's online search empire after ruling last year that the company was a 'monopolist.' Google also lost a separate antitrust case targeting its monopoly over digital advertising technology. US District Judge Leonie Brinkema will consider potential remedies in a trial beginning later this year.
Yahoo
16 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
UK may require Google to give users alternative search options and rank its results ‘more fairly'
The U.K.'s competition regulator said on Tuesday it is considering a new market designation for Google that would require the search giant to provide alternative search options to users, rank search results 'more fairly,' and offer greater control to publishers over how their content is used in search and AI Overviews. Under the new Digital Markets Competition Regime that went into force earlier this year, the U.K.'s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) said it is launching a consultation on whether to designate Google with 'strategic market status.' Under that designation, which the CMA says is applicable to companies with a 'sufficiently powerful position' in their market, Google would be forced to adhere to a slew of measures, including: choice screens to let users decide and switch between search services (potentially including AI Assistants); fair ranking principles for search results; better controls for publishers in how their content — collected for search — is used in Google's AI services (including AI Overviews and Gemini AI Assistant); and ensuring people can transfer their data, such as their search history. In a blog post about the consultation and proposed designation, CMA chief executive Sarah Cardell noted that U.K. businesses spent more than £33,000 per advertiser on Google search ads last year. 'Google search accounts for more than 90% of all general search queries in the UK, with millions of people relying on it as a key gateway to the internet […] If competition was working well, we would expect these costs to be lower,' wrote Cardell. 'These targeted and proportionate actions would give UK businesses and consumers more choice and control over how they interact with Google's search services — as well as unlocking greater opportunities for innovation across the UK tech sector and broader economy,' Cardell said in a separate statement. The CMA is currently collecting opinions on this designation and the proposed measures from industry stakeholders, and will make a decision on the designation by October 13. Google did not immediately return a request for comment. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Al Etihad
17 hours ago
- Business
- Al Etihad
Google faces UK pressure over AI search summary, advertising
24 June 2025 17:18 (Bloomberg)Alphabet Inc.'s Google is set to face more scrutiny from the UK's antitrust watchdog over its online search and advertising Competition and Markets Authority said Tuesday that it had concerns over fairness in its search results, high advertising costs and the way the content is used in AI-generated search antitrust watchdog proposed designating Google with so-called strategic market status, a tool that gives it the power to demand information and conduct change from firms. The final decision is expected by October 13, it said."The CMA's proposed SMS designation would include AI-based search features, though not Gemini AI Assistant itself,' the watchdog said in a statement on Tuesday. "This position will be kept under review as usage evolves.'The announcement presents "clear challenges' to Google's critical business areas, the company said in a statement."We're concerned that the scope of the CMA's considerations remains broad and unfocused, with a range of interventions being considered before any evidence has been provided.'Google is already fighting a record €4.1 billion ($4.76 billion) European Union antitrust fine and a US judge is weighing whether to break up the company and to make it sell its Chrome web browser. The CMA will hold consultations before making a final decision. The possible strategic market status designation will not mean that Google acted anti-competitively but opens the door for measures to address how Google operates search services in the UK, according to the CMA.
Engadget
19 hours ago
- Business
- Engadget
UK proposes greater regulation for Google's search practices
The UK might introduce new regulations for Google. The country's Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has proposed designating the company's search services with "strategic market status" (SMS). In doing so, the regulatory body could direct Google to create fairer business rankings on search, for instance. The CMA launched an antitrust investigation into Google Search in January — its first probe under the UK's Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers (DMCC) Act. Concerns include search advertising costing more than in a competitive market, minimal transparency on ranking search results and Google's vast access to websites and historical searches. There's also the issue of publishers getting fair terms and control over their content's use in search and AI-generated summaries. "Google search has delivered tremendous benefits — but our investigation so far suggests there are ways to make these markets more open, competitive and innovative." Sarah Cardell, Chief Executive of the CMA, said in a statement. A final decision on Google's SMS designation will come by October 13. It would also apply to AI-based search features, but not Gemini AI Assistant — though the CMA states this is subject to change. If the labeling goes ahead then the CMA will likely enact "early priorities" like the following: Requiring choice screens for users to access different search providers Ensuring fair ranking principles for businesses appearing on Google search More transparency and control for publishers whose content appears in search results Portability of consumer search data to support innovation in new products and services These points stand as a roadmap for how CMA plans to handle any initial designation period for an SMS. "These targeted and proportionate actions would give UK businesses and consumers more choice and control over how they interact with Google's search services — as well as unlocking greater opportunities for innovation across the UK tech sector and broader economy," Cardell stated. The CMA aims to provide additional actions to tackle more complex issues beginning in early 2026. The SMS designation doesn't imply Google has engaged in anti-competitive actions. Parties interested in Google's status can provide their views on the proposal directly to the CMA.
