AI at the Center of Google’s Defense Against DOJ Antitrust Charges

In the face of growing antitrust scrutiny, Google has introduced a new line of defense: artificial intelligence. For more than a year, tech companies have been touting AI as a hallmark of innovation, and Google is now using this excitement to counter regulatory pressure. According to Yahoo News, the tech giant is positioning the rise of AI-powered tools as evidence that the government’s case against it is outdated and misguided.

In a recent blog post, Google responded to the U.S. Department of Justice’s (DOJ) potential plans to break up the company, pointing to the fast-evolving AI landscape and advancements in search technologies as proof that competition is thriving. The DOJ, which filed legal papers earlier this week proposing remedies to restore competition in the search engine market, has accused Google of maintaining an illegal monopoly. However, Google’s vice president of regulatory affairs, Lee-Anne Mulholland, argued in the post that the government’s actions could harm consumers and hinder U.S. competitiveness. “The DOJ’s outline also comes at a time when competition in how people find information is blooming, with all sorts of new entrants emerging and new technologies like AI transforming the industry,” she said.

Per Yahoo News, Google’s argument is that AI has introduced new competitors and technologies that fundamentally change how users find information online, weakening the case for antitrust intervention. However, industry analysts and critics are skeptical. Gil Luria, an analyst at DA Davidson, pointed out that the DOJ sees this technological evolution as a reason to intervene now. “They want to make sure that Google is not able to convert the monopoly it currently has in Search into a monopoly in AI Enhanced Search,” Luria stated.

Related: Antitrust Showdown: Google Confronts Threats to Its Business in App Distribution, Search, and Advertising

Google’s heavy investment in AI-powered search tools has introduced both opportunities and risks. The shift towards AI marks a major transformation of Google’s core search product, raising questions about how the company plans to maintain its highly profitable advertising model. Traditionally, Google has monetized its search engine by displaying ads alongside search results. With the advent of AI-generated answers, the company will need to rethink how it serves and monetizes ads. Luria cautioned that while Google is well-positioned to make this transition, it may take years for AI-powered search to reach the same profitability as the current model.

On the other hand, some analysts believe that the integration of AI could complement Google’s advertising system. “I’m not of the belief that the dollars within search are going to disappear,” said Charlie Miner, an analyst at Third Bridge. Miner suggested that advertisers might pay higher premiums to be featured within AI-powered queries, indicating that a new revenue model could emerge from this shift.

While Google is betting on AI as part of its defense strategy, it’s not without regulatory scrutiny in this space either. According to Yahoo News, earlier this year, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) launched an investigation into the relationships between major cloud providers and AI startups, including Google’s partnership with Anthropic. The FTC is probing whether these partnerships stifle competition in the AI industry.

Source: Yahoo News