Europe ties AI market access to security rules

The European Commission has issued binding Digital Markets Act decisions defining how Google must open parts of its ecosystem to competitors. One decision opens 11 Android features to rival AI assistants, allowing services such as ChatGPT or Claude to operate at the operating system level rather than only inside an app. Another requires Google to share anonymized ranking, query, click and view data from Google Search with competing search engines, including AI chatbot providers, on fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory terms.

Data sharing begins in January 2027, while Android changes reach users from July 2027. The measures are framed as competition enforcement rather than AI safety regulation, targeting control over distribution as assistants become a front door to search, apps and services. Google has warned that broader access could weaken privacy and security protections by exposing searches and device permissions to more companies.

The commission included safeguards, including multi-layered anonymization, contractual limits, audits and the ability for Google to withhold data from recipients that pose serious cyber security or data protection risks. The approach makes security a condition for competing in major digital ecosystems, extending vendor risk management concerns to AI assistants with deep access to phones and corporate data.