The European Commission has urged Google to allow third-party Artificial Intelligence (AI) services to access essential Android features on equal terms, in the same way as its own solutions, such as Gemini, do, in line with the Digital Markets Act (DMA).
This is how it appears in the preliminary conclusions sent by the Community Executive to the technology giant within the file opened at the beginning of this year, in which several obligations that Google should assume to ensure third parties real access and interoperability with key capabilities of the Android operating system are detailed.
The objective of the measures proposed by Brussels is that competing AI services can interact effectively with applications installed on users' Android devices and perform tasks on their behalf, such as sending an email with the user's chosen email application, processing a food order, or sharing a photograph with their contacts.
Currently, as the Commission explains, Google largely reserves these capabilities for the use of its own AI tools on Android phones and tablets. The new obligations would allow, for example, alternative AI services to be easily activated by a personalized "wake word," that is, a phrase that the user says to start an AI service.
The proposals will also make it easier for rival AI service providers to innovate and offer deeply integrated AI experiences on Android phones and tablets, alongside Alphabet's AI services, such as Gemini. Opening up these features, the Commission emphasizes, will provide Android users across the EU with a wider range of AI services.
"AI services are increasingly relevant in the daily interaction of EU citizens with their mobile devices. It is essential to protect the innovation of AI companies of all sizes," said the Executive Vice President for a Clean, Fair, and Competitive Transition, Teresa Ribera, in a statement.
In its assessment, the measures will allow Android users to have "more options" on the AI services they use and integrate into their phone, including those from the wide range of AI services that compete with Google's.
The Executive Vice-President for Technological Sovereignty, Security and Democracy, Henna Virkkunen, has also spoken, emphasizing that "interoperability is key to unlocking the full potential of these technologies".
"These measures will open Android devices to a wider range of AI services, so that users will have the freedom to choose the AI services that best suit their needs and values, without sacrificing functionality," he added.
Public consultation and decision calendar
To check the effectiveness of the proposed measures, the Commission has launched a public consultation in which it invites stakeholders, including Google, to submit their observations by May 13. Subsequently, the Community Executive will analyze the contributions received and, based on them, may introduce adjustments to the proposed obligations.
The final decision, which will include the final binding measures, must be adopted within a maximum of six months from the opening of the file last January. The Commission has stressed that this process is carried out without prejudice to its ability to ascertain a possible breach of the DMA obligations by Google.