BRUSSELS: Say "Hey ChatGPT" to a locked Android smartphone or Google device and you won't get an answer. That's because Google wants you to use its own AI chatbot, Gemini.
However, that could soon change thanks to a request from European Union officials that Google give anyone with an Android smartphone more choice over which AI system responds to which phrase – until now mostly limited to "Hey Google" or "Ok Google".
The European Commission presented proposals on Monday on how the US company should proceed under EU competition rules to give rival AI providers better access to operating system functions. Android users across the European Union would be offered a wider choice as a result, it said in a statement.
Specifically, rival AI services should in future be able to send emails, order food or share photos on Android smartphones and tablets. So far, the commission said, Google has largely reserved these options for its own AI platform, Gemini.
Instead of "Hey Google" or "Ok Google", the commission proposed that users be able to start other AI services using a custom command to trigger the AI, known as a wake word.
Although Android now allows users to pick from a range of services as their default AI chatbot, including Claude and ChatGPT, there is still no easy way to use your voice to wake an AI and start a hands-free conversation unless it is Google's Gemini.
The proposals from Brussels competition watchdogs are initially not binding on Google but are intended to help the US company comply with European competition rules.
The proposals are based on the Digital Markets Act (DMA) – the legal basis for the EU's efforts to limit the power of large online platforms. Under EU law, Google's parent company Alphabet is considered a so-called gatekeeper – a designation applied to large IT companies that are subject to special competition rules because of their dominant position.
The US company and rival firms can now submit counterproposals, which Brussels said it wants to take into account. In the summer, the commission must then propose binding changes. If no agreement is reached with Google, proceedings over DMA violations could follow and the EU could ultimately impose severe penalties. – dpa
