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Justice Department lawyers warned that Google’s search dominance is spilling over into the AI race that threatens to crush rivals as the remedy phase of the landmark antitrust case against the tech giant kicked off Monday.
Google is already leveraging artificial intelligence as a “method to access search” and will continue to do so without government intervention, DOJ attorney David Dahlquist said during opening statements in a Washington, DC, court.
“This court’s remedy should be forward-looking and not ignore what is on the horizon,” said Dahlquist, who noted that the government would call witnesses from OpenAI and Perplexity to weigh in on how Google’s dominance has impacted the AI race.
The case is being heard by US District Judge Amit Mehta, who will determine appropriate remedies after ruling last August that Sundar Pichai-led Google is a “monopolist” that illegally dominates the online search market.
The DOJ has asked Mehta to force Google to sell off its Chrome web browser. The feds also said Google should have to end its tactic of paying companies like Apple and AT&T to ensure its search engine is enabled by default on most smartphones.
Additionally, the feds are seeking a court-ordered requirement that Google share its search data with rivals. They’ve also pushed for a forced divestment of Google’s Android operating system if initial court-ordered remedies prove ineffective after five years.
Shares of Google parent Alphabet were down 3% in mid-day trading amid a broad sell-off.
Google said it will appeal the judge’s final decision in the case once the remedies are decided.
The company claims that a forced selloff of Chrome and Android would “break these platforms,” put US national security at risk and potentially allow China to leapfrog the US in the race to develop AI and other key technologies.
“When it comes to antitrust remedies, the US Supreme Court has said that “caution is key,” Google vice president of regulatory affairs Lee-Anne Mulholland said in a blog post ahead of the trial. “DOJ’s proposal throws that caution to the wind. We look forward to making our case in court.”
Google officials had reportedly pressed Trump’s DOJ to ease up on its proposed remedies in the weeks leading up to the trial.
Closing statements are scheduled for late May. Mehta’s final decision on how to fix Google’s monopoly over search is expected by August.
The DOJ’s search case was initially brought in 2020 during President Trump’s first term. It went to trial in 2023 under President Joe Biden.
In a speech outside the courthouse on Monday, DOJ antitrust chief Gail Slater said the case to break up Google “has unified our nation” and confirmed “a bipartisan consensus that strong antitrust enforcement against Big Tech is sorely needed.”
Slater also rejected Google’s argument that a breakup would somehow threaten US national security.
“You know what is dangerous? The threat Google presents to our freedom of speech, to our freedom of thought, to free American digital markets. You know what is irresponsible? Leaving Google’s monopoly abuse unaddressed,” Slater said.
The DOJ search case’s remedy phase began just days after Google suffered a major defeat in separate federal antitrust lawsuit targeting its digital advertising business.
A federal judge ruled that Google operates two separate illegal monopolies over digital ad technology. The DOJ is also seeking a breakup of the company in that case.
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