Openai Would Consider Buying Google Chrome If Doj Forces Google To Sell, Executive Tells Court

In a astonishing twist successful nan U.S. government’s antitrust proceedings against Google, an OpenAI executive revealed that nan AI institution would beryllium willing successful acquiring nan Chrome browser if regulators unit Google to divest it arsenic portion of title remedies.

Nick Turley, caput of merchandise for ChatGPT, made nan connection connected Tuesday during his grounds astatine nan high-profile proceedings successful Washington. The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) is seeking sweeping reforms to antagonistic what it claims is Google’s forbidden monopoly successful online hunt and hunt advertising.

While Google has not indicated immoderate volition to waste Chrome, Turley’s remark offered a uncommon look into really tech rivals mightiness capitalise connected imaginable divestitures if nan tribunal rules against nan Alphabet-owned company. Google, which is appealing nan court’s anterior uncovering that it holds a monopoly, faces mounting scrutiny complete its intertwined power successful search, advertising, and now artificial intelligence.

The proceedings is besides shedding ray connected nan intensifying title successful generative AI. Prosecutors reason that Google’s existing marketplace powerfulness successful hunt gives it an unfair separator successful nan AI space, perchance reinforcing its dominance. Turley, testifying for nan government, said, “Search is simply a captious portion of ChatGPT to supply answers to personification queries that are up to day and factual.”

OpenAI had antecedently approached Google successful July 2023 to licence its hunt technology, citing issues pinch its existing provider, wide believed to beryllium Microsoft’s Bing, which presently powers ChatGPT’s browsing capability. “We judge having aggregate partners, and successful peculiar Google’s API, would alteration america to supply a amended merchandise to users,” OpenAI wrote successful a petition shown during proceedings proceedings. Google rejected nan proposal, citing concerns astir competitory overlap.

Turley acknowledged successful court, “We person nary business pinch Google today,” adding that a DOJ remedy requiring Google to stock hunt information pinch rivals would “accelerate efforts” to amended ChatGPT.

An soul OpenAI archive shared by Google’s ineligible squad during nan proceedings revealed that nan institution did not initially position Google arsenic its superior AI competitor. Turley clarified that nan connection was intended to motivate labor alternatively than bespeak strategical conclusions.

The DOJ has projected remedies beyond simply loosening default agreements. It seeks to prohibit Google from making exclusive deals, specified arsenic those pinch Samsung, Motorola, AT&T, and Verizon, that antecedently ensured its apps for illustration Chrome, Search, and Gemini AI were preinstalled connected caller devices. Judge Amit Mehta, who is overseeing nan case, ruled past twelvemonth that Google’s exclusivity contracts harmed competition.

While Google has relaxed immoderate caller deals to let rival apps, nan DOJ argues it’s not capable and that deeper structural changes are required to level nan playing field. The tech elephantine maintains that its revised agreements let flexibility, pinch executive Peter Fitzgerald stating that Google precocious sent letters to partners affirming their expertise to preload competing AI products.

Published on: Apr 23, 2025 1:55 PM IST