Judge Weighs Less Aggressive Measures Against Google’s Search Monopoly amid AI Competition

Judge recommends using more flexible rules in Google’s case since new types of competition and innovative regulation are emerging.

A judge in Washington may permit lighter restrictions on Google’s search dominance than what antitrust enforcers wanted. Based on the closing arguments, Judge Mehta hinted that the challenges of technology might be better handled with more adaptable rules.

Google is urged by the Department of Justice and several states to share its search information and not pay billions to smartphone makers like Apple for having Google as the default search engine. Still, Judge Mehta indicated a suggestion of allowing some data exchange and certain changes if AI continues to play an important role in search.

According to the judge, new competition might arrive from AI developers, as they can provide results and functions that DuckDuckGo and Bing cannot. It has led to a decline in Google’s stock price after Apple shared its plans to add AI to its search tool.

Access to Google Search results would help OpenAI make its AI more advanced, but the company still needs a lot of time to achieve the same performance as Google. Google’s lawyer explained that handing over the company’s private AI technology would be against fairness given the vast funds and years of research behind it.

Judge Mehta has set an August deadline to make a decision, ensuring that innovation from others is supported while acknowledging Google as the main leader in search technology.

This event demonstrates Google’s central role in connecting search engines and AI which determines the future of online search rivalry.