You could soon ditch Gemini for another chatbot on Android, thanks to the EU

The EU has demanded that Google open up Android to other AI chatbots, with the intention of leveling the playing field and making it easier to compete with Gemini and Google Search.

This would take the form of allowing access to voice triggers like "Hey Google", but also giving access to data from Google Search as well.

As you would expect, Google has reacted strongly against this, claiming there are safety and security concerns with allowing this sort of access to third parties.

The EU claims Gemini has too big an advantage over the competition

This is only the latest development in the war between the EU and big tech firms. Fresh off the

and

, the EU has now turned to the biggest new area of technology: AI.

This demand has come in the form of new guidance in the Digital Markets Act (DMA), and is all about making sure competing AI chatbots have all the same tools that Gemini does.

The EU's argument is that Android users cannot truly be free to pick AI chatbots other than Gemini for as long as Google holds a monopoly over information from Google Search, and deeper interactions within the operating system itself. It also wants users to be able to use a hotword like "Okay Google" or "Hey Google" to summon a different AI assistant.

As mentioned, Google is not happy about this, and has claimed this will undercut the privacy and security of users.

This is likely because of the massive expansions Google has made in Gemini's abilities recently, where the chatbot can now freely access data from across

. It's not clear whether this mandate would include those areas, but Google presumably worries it would.

What happens in the EU usually comes to the US

Even though the EU has no power over what companies do in the US, what companies need to do in Europe usually ends up mattering in the US as well.

Take the mandate on USB-C as a universal port as an example. Since companies aren't likely to create two designs for different markets, the need to use USB-C in the EU meant most devices in the US now follow that guidance. Otherwise, companies need to spend more money creating two different designs — and companies rarely want to spend more money if they don't have to.

However, unlike previous demands, which focused on hardware decisions, this time the EU is focusing on software. And because software is far easier to alter on a per-region basis, it's very likely that should this mandate come to pass, the US will not see the benefit.

Instead, the question will be whether pressure now comes from other areas. Rival AI companies, for instance, will want to see the same benefits in the US as they may be getting in the EU.

Consumers, too, may also have a strong preference for one chatbot over another. If US consumers see people in the EU getting freedoms they don't have, that could put more pressure on Google to echo it across the US as well.

We're still in the very early stages of this particular tussle, and it remains to be seen how this will shake down. However, it's very clear the EU is content to continue poking its nose into all aspects of the tech world, so this is very unlikely to be the last time we see something like this.