This week, there has been some news surrounding the US DOJ’s antitrust case against Google. Last year, a judge ruled that Google has a monopoly position in the search engine segment. The preliminary remedies suggested by the authorities included some extreme measures. Now, the US authorities have dropped the requirement for Google to divest from AI companies in their revised antitrust remedies.
Google has established itself as one of the leading names in the artificial intelligence segment. The company has developed its own AI models to power its suite of services for regular users and businesses. The Mountain View giant also funds other AI startups, such as Anthropic. The parent company of the Claude AI models has received about $3 billion in funding from Google.
DOJ drops requirement to force Google to divest from AI startup funding
In its proposed preliminary remedies to resolve the monopoly situation, the DOJ considered it appropriate to have Google divest from its investments in third-party AI companies. The agency thought this would help boost competition in online search. However, the DOJ’s revised antitrust remedies allow Google to continue funding AI companies.
This “concession” to Google comes at a time when the United States is seeking to become more competitive in the development of artificial intelligence. Prohibiting these investments by Google “could cause unintended consequences in the evolving AI space,” the document states. That said, further Google investments in AI startups still require prior notice.
The revised DOJ proposal maintains some extreme measures. The most notable is the need to sell the Google Chrome browser to a third party. “Sweeping proposals continue to go miles beyond the Court’s decision, and would harm America’s consumers, economy and national security,” a Google spokesperson said.
Google to present a revision of its own suggested remedies soon
Google submitted its own suggested remedies in December 2024. The company proposed to ease exclusivity deals with third parties, such as the Google-Apple deal. The Mountain View giant has paid billions to Apple to set Google Search as the default search engine in Safari. Google is also proposing to stop paying Android brands to set Google Search as the default search engine.
That said, Google could submit a revision to its list of suggested remedies in the next few hours. There’s a pending hearing to discuss the matter in April. The final decision on the case is expected to come in September. Google will not accept the remedies without a fight, though. The company confirmed that it plans to appeal the antitrust ruling against it.
