The US Department of Justice (DOJ) has dropped a proposal that would have required Alphabet"s Google to sell its investments in artificial intelligence (AI) companies, including OpenAI competitor Anthropic.
The DOJ and a coalition of 38 state attorneys general are still seeking a court order that would force Google to sell its Chrome browser and take other measures to address what a judge ruled was the company"s illegal search monopoly.
While the DOJ is no longer actively pursuing the AI divestment proposal, it is requiring Google to provide the government with prior notice of any future investments in generative AI technology.
In a proposal, prosecutors said that evidence received since November showed that blocking Google from investing in AI could have "unintended consequences" in the evolving AI environment. However, they argued that "the American dream is about higher values than just cheap goods and "free" online services" and that Google"s conduct poses a "genuine danger to freedom in the marketplace and to robust competition in our economy."
The American dream is about higher values than just cheap goods and “free” online services. These values include freedom of speech, freedom of association, freedom to innovate, and freedom to compete in a market undistorted by the controlling hand of a monopolist. Google’s conduct presents genuine danger to freedom in the marketplace and to robust competition in our economy.
Google, which plans to appeal the case, has argued that the DOJ"s approach would undermine its ability to compete in AI and threaten America"s technological leadership. The tech giant has made its own proposal to loosen agreements with companies like Apple to be the default search engine on new devices.
The antitrust case against Google is one of several such lawsuits targeting major tech firms. Apple, Meta, and Amazon also face allegations of maintaining illegal monopolies in their respective markets.
Source: Reuters