If Google has to sell Chrome as a result of the ongoing antitrust trial, OpenAI’s head of product told the judge that the company would be interested in purchasing the browser.
During a U.S. antitrust trial, OpenAI’s Head of Product, Nick Turley, testified that if regulators compel Google to divest Chrome to address its search monopoly, OpenAI would consider purchasing the browser, as reported by Reuters.
The ongoing trial started as Google’s monopoly in the realm of AI-driven search came to the spotlight of regulators’ scrutiny. It was revealed that Google had considered entering exclusive agreements with Android phone manufacturers, such as Samsung, to pre-install its Gemini AI app alongside its search engine and Chrome browser. If Gemini were to be a default AI assistant on all these devices, it would potentially limit users’ access to alternative AI services, causing market monopoly concerns.
The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) and several state attorneys general argued that such exclusivity could unfairly extend Google’s dominance, which already exists in the search segment, right into the emerging AI sector. The regulators are considering several remedies, including the possible divestiture of Google’s Chrome browser, to address the issue.
OpenAI’s Head of Product, Nick Turley, testified before the court that these exclusive deals hinder the distribution of rival AI products like ChatGPT, also expressing the company’s interest in Google Chrome purchase, if the browser were on sale. OpenAI’s interest in acquiring Google’s Chrome browser stems from its strategic goal to expand its prominent AI capabilities to a broader, multifunctional technology ecosystem and challenge Google’s dominance in the digital ecosystem.
Earlier reports indicated that OpenAI was exploring the development of its proprietary web browser integrated with the popular ChatGPT technology, aiming to compete directly with Google’s offerings. However, acquiring Chrome might be more advantageous for OpenAI. Thus, the firm could leverage the browser’s existing global user base of almost 3,5 billion people to integrate its AI services more deeply into everyday internet usage, potentially reshaping the competitive landscape of web browsing and search technologies.
Google, in its turn, asserts that it faces strong competition from other tech companies in the AI field. However, the tech giant revised its agreements with companies like Samsung, Motorola, AT&T, and Verizon, allowing them to include competing search and AI products on their devices.
While the U.S. antitrust trial is in motion, the European Commission is also investigating whether Google’s multi-year AI deal with Samsung, which involves embedding Google’s Gemini Nano in Samsung’s Galaxy S24 smartphones, hinders rival chatbots. The Commission has sent questionnaires to industry participants to assess if such pre-installations limit the interoperability of other AI systems on the devices in question.
