Alphabet’s Google will be required to give artificial intelligence rivals, including OpenAI, and competing search providers greater access to key Android and Search services under new European Union rules designed to curb the market power of Big Tech and foster greater competition in the AI era.
The European Commission on Thursday detailed the obligations Google must meet under the Digital Markets Act (DMA), six months after launching specification proceedings to clarify how the company should comply with the landmark legislation.
The measures represent one of the EU’s most significant regulatory interventions in the rapidly evolving AI market, extending the Digital Markets Act beyond traditional internet search into generative AI and digital assistants. The decision could reshape how AI developers compete on Android devices and how search-based AI services access information currently controlled by Google.
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Under the ruling, Google will be required to open 11 Android operating system features to competing AI developers, enabling rival digital assistants to integrate more deeply with Android devices and compete directly with Google’s Gemini AI.
Among the most significant changes, users will be able to activate third-party AI assistants through voice commands in much the same way they currently invoke Google Assistant or Gemini. Those assistants will be able to perform tasks such as searching for local information, booking transportation, and executing other system-level functions without relying on Google’s own AI services.
The changes are scheduled to become available with the Android release planned for July 2027.
The Commission said access will not be unrestricted. Google will be allowed to provide the new capabilities only to developers that satisfy specific privacy and cybersecurity requirements designed to protect users and maintain device security.
Beyond Android, the Commission also ordered Google to share certain search-related data that it uses to improve its own search engine with competitors, including AI companies that offer search functionality.
The measure could benefit OpenAI and other developers building AI-powered search products by giving them access to anonymized data that would otherwise remain exclusive to Google’s search ecosystem. The Commission said the information-sharing framework includes anonymization requirements and a pricing mechanism governing commercial access.
Google will retain the ability to assess whether companies requesting access pose cybersecurity or data protection risks before sharing data.
The search data provisions are scheduled to take effect from January next year.
The decision is borne out of growing concern among European regulators that Google’s dominance in internet search could be reinforced by artificial intelligence unless competing AI developers receive broader access to critical infrastructure and datasets. Rather than waiting for competition concerns to emerge after markets consolidate around AI services, the EU is using the Digital Markets Act to impose interoperability requirements intended to lower barriers to entry before dominant positions become entrenched.
Google criticized the Commission’s decision, arguing that the mandated changes could compromise user protections.
“Today’s decisions risk undermining vital privacy and security guardrails for millions of Europeans,” Kent Walker, Google’s president of global affairs and chief legal officer, said in a statement.
“We have repeatedly offered solutions to safeguard users while satisfying the DMA’s goals, but these rulings discount extensive evidence of user harm,” he added.
The European Commission rejected those concerns, saying the measures include robust safeguards designed to balance competition with security and privacy.
EU Executive Vice President for Tech Sovereignty, Security and Democracy, Henna Virkkunen, said the objective is to give European consumers more meaningful alternatives.
“Thanks to these measures we hope to see emerging alternatives to Google Search and Google’s AI services, such as Gemini, and that users in the EU can enjoy greater choice of services,” Virkkunen said.
For OpenAI and other AI developers, the decision could significantly improve their ability to compete within Google’s ecosystem. Access to deeper Android functionality would allow rival AI assistants to offer experiences much closer to Google’s own services, while shared search data could help improve the quality and relevance of AI-generated answers.
The ruling also highlights how AI has become the next major battleground for digital regulation. Whereas earlier antitrust cases focused on web browsers, search rankings and mobile app stores, regulators are now extending competition policy to AI assistants, foundation models and the data that powers them.
Against this backdrop, Google’s compliance with the Digital Markets Act is likely to become more complex as AI becomes integrated across Search, Android, Chrome and other products. The company must now balance regulatory obligations in Europe with maintaining product security, protecting proprietary technology, and preserving the competitive advantages that have underpinned its search business for more than two decades.
More broadly, the Commission’s decision signals that Europe intends to ensure the AI market develops with multiple competing platforms rather than allowing existing technology giants to leverage their established ecosystems into long-term dominance of generative AI. The measures, if successfully implemented, are expected to lower switching costs for consumers, accelerate innovation among AI developers and reshape competition across both mobile operating systems and AI-powered search services.