EU tells Google to open up Android AI; Google cries foul

The European Commission has been poking around Google’s Android AI strategy since January, and now they’ve come to a conclusion: Android needs to be more open. Shocking, I know.

Google’s response? They’re calling this an “unwarranted intervention.” Also shocking.

The whole thing stems from the Digital Markets Act (DMA), that sweeping EU law that designated seven big tech companies as “gatekeepers” and slapped them with extra rules to keep competition fair. Google has been fighting these regulations since day one, but the DMA isn’t going anywhere. It’s been years now, and the commission isn’t backing off.

So what’s the actual problem? Gemini. When you fire up any Google-powered Android phone, Gemini is right there, baked into the system. It gets special treatment at the OS level. The commission’s beef is that third-party AI services don’t get the same access or features. Too many Android experiences are locked to Google’s own AI, and under the DMA, that’s not okay for a gatekeeper.

The commission could force Google to make changes as soon as this summer. That’s fast by EU standards. I’d expect Google to drag this out as long as they can, but the DMA has teeth, and they’ve already had to make other concessions.

This is the same playbook we’ve seen before: Google gets told to open up search choices, browser defaults, app store payments. Now it’s AI’s turn. The question is how far the commission will go — and whether Google will actually comply or just find clever ways to keep Gemini on top.