EU Forces Google to Let Rival AI Assistants Replace "Hey Google" on Android

One of Google’s biggest advantages over the years has been that the more people use its products, the smarter they become. Every search, every voice command, and every interaction helps improve its services. The European Union now wants some of that advantage shared with everyone else. 

In a new set of legally binding measures under the Digital Markets Act (DMA), the European Commission has ordered Google to open key parts of its Search and Android platforms to competitors, including AI companies like OpenAI. The move is designed to make it easier for rivals to build competing search engines and AI assistants instead of relying on Google’s ecosystem. 

Google Search data will no longer be exclusive 

The biggest change affects Google Search. Google collects vast amounts of data about how people search online and uses those signals to improve search results. If millions of users consistently click the same website for a particular query, Google learns from that behaviour and adjusts future rankings. 

Under the new rules, Google will have to share parts of that search data with competing search engines and AI chatbots that include search capabilities. The information must first be anonymised, and competitors will only be allowed to use it to improve their search products, not for advertising or user profiling.