EU tells Google to open up Android AI; Google calls it ‘unwarranted intervention’

The European Commission wrapped up its initial investigation into how Google is handling AI on Android, and the result is about as surprising as finding out the sky is blue. The EU says Android needs to be more open. Google says this is “unwarranted intervention.” Shocking, I know.

This all started back in January with something the EU calls a “specification proceeding” — basically a formal look at whether Google is playing fair with its AI integration. Now that the results are in, the commission is signaling that changes are coming, possibly as early as this summer.

The legal weapon here is the Digital Markets Act (DMA), which designates Google and six other big tech companies as “gatekeepers.” That label comes with a lot of strings attached, all aimed at keeping competition alive. Google has been fighting these rules since day one, but the DMA isn’t going anywhere, and the EU isn’t backing down.

The specific issue is Gemini‘s built-in advantage on Android. When you power up any Android phone, Gemini is already there, baked into the system at a level no third-party AI service can touch. The European Commission sees this as a clear case of a gatekeeper using its platform to favor its own product. Too many features on Android only work with Gemini, and the EU wants that fixed.

I’ve been watching this play out for years now, and honestly, Google’s response feels like a tired script. “Unwarranted intervention” is the same line they’ve used every time the EU tries to level the playing field. Meanwhile, the DMA has already forced changes to how Android handles app stores, browser choices, and search defaults. AI was always going to be the next battleground.

The real question is what “opening up” actually looks like. Giving third-party AI assistants the same system-level access as Gemini? That could mean letting them trigger from the same gestures, access the same APIs, and integrate as deeply into the OS. It’s a bigger ask than just letting users pick a default browser.

Google will fight this, probably all the way to the European Court of Justice. But the DMA has teeth, and the commission has shown it’s willing to use them. If you’re developing AI services for Android, this is the kind of regulatory pressure you’ve been hoping for. If you’re Google, it’s time to start planning for a more open Android — whether you like it or not.