Justice Department seeks information on Google’s AI strategy aimed at breaking Google’s search monopoly

The Justice Department wants to learn more about Google’s artificial intelligence strategy to determine what changes it will seek to end Google’s monopoly on the search market.

The motion was filed during a hearing Friday in federal court in Washington, D.C., where Google and the DOJ met before Judge Amit Mehta, who recently ruled in favor of the DOJ and agreed that Google is an illegal monopoly. Mehta’s decision officially ended the first phase of the trial, which focused on whether Google is liable under antitrust law. The parties now move to the remedies phase, in which the government will propose solutions to correct the illegal conduct and restore competition in the market.

Justice Department legal counsel David Dahlquist told the court that the government needs more information to understand the state of Google’s business in recent years. The trial covered Google’s deals through the early part of this decade, including a long-running agreement to provide search services on Apple products. But the Justice Department’s investigation ended just as Google — alongside potential competitors like Microsoft — was beginning to promote a new kind of search product built around generative AI. As Dahlquist noted, Google’s name for its AI has even changed since last year’s trial: then Bard, now Gemini, so the panel is seeking more information about Google’s more recent business decisions, including those related to AI.

The parties have not yet agreed on a timeline for the remedies phase, which will include another trial-like proceeding. Mehta, however, has indicated that he would like to see those arguments in the first half of next year. While nothing is set in stone, they expect it to take significantly less time than the 10-week trial that began last September — more like a week or two. The parties are expected to file a new request for a timeline by next Friday.