Judge Amit Mehta, an Indian-origin US judge overseeing Google’s antitrust trial, has raised concerns about the company’s dominance in online search as AI technologies emerge.
During closing arguments, Mehta asked whether AI could spur the creation of new general search engines. “Do you think someone is going to come off the sidelines and build a new general search engine in light of what we are seeing?” he asked DOJ lawyer David Dahlquist.
Dahlquist said AI should not be dismissed and stressed the DOJ’s remedies aim to prevent Google from stifling AI rivals. He noted OpenAI is still years from handling most search queries.
Google’s lawyer, John Schmidtlein, argued the firm has eased competition concerns by ending exclusive deals with device makers. However, the DOJ wants stronger action, including selling Chrome and sharing search data.
Judge Mehta is expected to deliver a ruling by August. OpenAI expressed interest in acquiring Chrome.
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