A federal judge sharply challenged Google 's arguments against proposed antitrust remedies during closing arguments Friday, questioning the tech giant's stance on restrictions that could limit its artificial intelligence ambitions and search dominance.
U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta pushed back against Google lawyer John Schmidtlein's claims that the Justice Department hadn't proven sufficient causation for drastic remedies. "They are telling you that you don't need any causal connection to do any of these remedies," Schmidtlein argued. "That is wrong." The judge's pointed questioning suggested skepticism toward Google's defense strategy.
Government seeks unprecedented AI restrictions
The Justice Department has proposed sweeping remedies including forcing Google to sell its Chrome browser, ending its $20 billion annual payments to Apple for default search placement, and crucially, restricting Google's ability to promote its Gemini AI product . "The reason we are so focused on Gen AI is because that is the new search access point," Justice Department lawyer David Dahlquist explained, positioning AI as the future battleground for search dominance.
The government's case centers on preventing Google from monopolizing next-generation search through AI, pointing to testimony that Google now pays Samsung and Motorola to pre-install Gemini on devices. This mirrors the exclusive deals that helped maintain Google's roughly 90% search market share.
Market shifts signal competitive pressure
The urgency surrounding AI became apparent when Apple executives testified that Google searches in Safari had declined for the first time in two decades, while Apple plans to offer AI options like ChatGPT within the next year. Alphabet shares fell sharply following this revelation, though Google disputed the claims.
Judge Mehta questioned whether AI companies that don't build traditional search engines should access Google's valuable data under proposed remedies. He also floated making payment bans contingent on other remedies failing and asked whether forcing Chrome's sale might be "cleaner and more elegant" than alternatives.
The judge expects to rule in August, with Google planning to appeal regardless of the outcome.
U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta pushed back against Google lawyer John Schmidtlein's claims that the Justice Department hadn't proven sufficient causation for drastic remedies. "They are telling you that you don't need any causal connection to do any of these remedies," Schmidtlein argued. "That is wrong." The judge's pointed questioning suggested skepticism toward Google's defense strategy.
Government seeks unprecedented AI restrictions
The Justice Department has proposed sweeping remedies including forcing Google to sell its Chrome browser, ending its $20 billion annual payments to Apple for default search placement, and crucially, restricting Google's ability to promote its Gemini AI product . "The reason we are so focused on Gen AI is because that is the new search access point," Justice Department lawyer David Dahlquist explained, positioning AI as the future battleground for search dominance.
The government's case centers on preventing Google from monopolizing next-generation search through AI, pointing to testimony that Google now pays Samsung and Motorola to pre-install Gemini on devices. This mirrors the exclusive deals that helped maintain Google's roughly 90% search market share.
Market shifts signal competitive pressure
The urgency surrounding AI became apparent when Apple executives testified that Google searches in Safari had declined for the first time in two decades, while Apple plans to offer AI options like ChatGPT within the next year. Alphabet shares fell sharply following this revelation, though Google disputed the claims.
Judge Mehta questioned whether AI companies that don't build traditional search engines should access Google's valuable data under proposed remedies. He also floated making payment bans contingent on other remedies failing and asked whether forcing Chrome's sale might be "cleaner and more elegant" than alternatives.
The judge expects to rule in August, with Google planning to appeal regardless of the outcome.
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