The EU will force Google to allow competing AI models to use its Android ecosystem alongside its own Gemini tool.
The European Commission said the preloading of Gemini onto Android devices reduced the attractiveness of rival third-party models for the 60% of EU adults who use Android.
The move will open the market for AI giants such as Anthropic and OpenAI, whose chatbots could soon be used to operate smartphones.
Another potential winner is French AI startup Mistral, the closest thing to a European frontier AI lab, whose assistants will also likely benefit. Mistral’s co-founder told The Economist that Europe needs to build a sovereign AI ecosystem, as Washington increasingly limits overseas access to US cutting-edge models.