EU Will Make Google Share Search Data With AI Chatbots, and Open Android to Rival Assistants

The European Commission has issued two sets of binding specification measures to Google under the Digital Markets Act, covering access to AI assistants on Android and the sharing of Google Search data. One provision matters more than the headline suggests: Google will have to treat AI chatbots as search services for the purposes of that data sharing.

What the Commission decided

Specification measures are not a fine and not a new law. They are the Commission spelling out how a designated gatekeeper must comply with obligations the DMA already imposes on it. Google, designated a gatekeeper under the regime that came into force in 2024, does not get to negotiate whether to comply — only the detail of how.

On Android, Google must open system-level access to competing AI assistants. Gemini currently holds a privileged position: preloaded on Google-certified Android devices, able to wake on the “Hey Google” hot word, and given system and app access that rivals cannot obtain. “Third-party AI assistants are therefore limited in how they can offer their innovative services, making them less attractive to 60% of EU users who have an Android device,” the Commission said in its announcement, as quoted by Ars Technica.

On search, Google must share search data with competing providers transparently and for a reasonable fee, with anonymisation applied through what the decision describes as a multilayered approach.

What is actually new

The classification is the part worth attention. By treating AI chatbots as search services for data-sharing purposes, the Commission has put assistant developers in the queue for access to Google's search metrics — data that has been among the most durable competitive moats in the industry.

Most coverage of the DMA has framed it as a fight over app stores, default browsers and payment rails. This decision extends it to the training and grounding inputs of AI assistants, which is a different kind of remedy: not a choice screen, but access to the underlying data advantage.

Google's objection

Google opposed the measures before they were finalised and has not softened since. “Today's decisions risk undermining vital privacy and security guardrails for millions of Europeans,” said Kent Walker, the company's president of global affairs, who argues that deeper Android integration for third-party assistants could circumvent vetting that device makers currently perform.

On search data, Google's position is that sharing at the scale required risks user privacy even with anonymisation. The Commission has said it is open to amending the decision to ensure identifiable data is handled appropriately — which suggests the anonymisation method is still live rather than settled.

Timeline

Google must be ready to begin sharing search data in January 2027, and to have Android updated for deeper third-party AI integration by July 2027. Both dates leave room for the specifics to be worked out with regulators, and for Google to seek changes.

What is overstated

“EU orders Google” flattens what happened. This is compliance guidance under an existing obligation, with implementation dates more than a year out and an explicit opening to amendment. Whether it changes competitive conditions depends entirely on the anonymisation standard and the fee Google is permitted to charge — neither of which is settled, and both of which will determine whether rivals get usable data or a technically compliant trickle.