Google is better at playing the AI regulations game

Today, the European Union ordered Google to give its AI rivals greater access to Android, the open-source operating system that powers billions of devices worldwide. The demand is hardly surprising. It may look like a defeat on paper for Google, which has spent years resisting exactly this kind of access, but it is a regulatory win. It’s also a sign that Google may have outmaneuvered Apple by playing Brussels’ regulatory game far more shrewdly. Google is better at playing the AI regulations game Google scored a grace period to bring Android in line with EU rules, while Apple must make Siri AI compliant before launch. Google scored a grace period to bring Android in line with EU rules, while Apple must make Siri AI compliant before launch. In one of two decisions handed down on Thursday, the European Commission — the EU’s executive arm and the principal enforcer of the bloc’s competition rules — said Google must give rival AI assistants the same kind of system features and data access it grants Google’s Gemini. The order stems from Europe’s Digital Markets Act (DMA), which requires dominant platforms designated as “gatekeepers” to give competitors access to certain systems and data comparable to what is available to their own services. Crucially, Google has until July 2027 to make those changes, giving it roughly a year to continue expanding Gemini, negotiate technical details with the EU, and shape how its rivals will eventually plug into Android. The company could also challenge the decision in court, though it has not commented publicly whether it plans to do so and declined to comment on the record when The Verge inquired. While Google has made it clear it would rather not open its systems at all — arguing it risks compromising users’ safety, security, and privacy — that yearlong runway compounds an already significant advantage. Gemini is already deeply integrated into Android and often ships preinstalled as the default AI assistant on many devices, giving Google more time to strengthen its position before rivals like OpenAI and Anthropic gain comparable levels of access. Google’s strategy of shipping first and negotiating with regulators later stands in stark contrast to Apple’s. When Apple announced its long-awaited Siri AI assistant last month, it made a big point of saying the feature would not launch in Europe because of the DMA. As with Android, the Commission said Apple would need to give third-party assistants comparable access to key systems, features, and data to those of Siri AI. Apple argued that doing so “would be irresponsible” and create unacceptable privacy and security risks. The company said it asked the Commission for 18 months to build a compliant version and introduce the required interoperability on a “gradually rolling” basis. The Commission rejected that proposal. Apple still has no public timeline for when, or even whether, it plans to bring Siri AI to the EU and did not respond to The Verge’s request for comment. Goo…