News: What the Google Antitrust Ruling Means for Marketers
A federal court ruled that Google illegally maintained its monopoly in search. At the center of the case is a $20 billion-a-year deal with Apple that kept Google the default search engine on Safari. This combined with Google’s refusal to share search query data, eliminated competition and allowed Google to raise ad prices unchecked.
Table of Contents
Google gets off scott free (almost).
Google can no longer sign exclusive deals that block rival search engines or AI tools. Partners like Apple are now free to offer alternatives.
Google must share parts of its search infrastructure with competitors, including generative AI providers. That includes a one-time snapshot of its search index, limited click-and-query data (with frequency determined by a court-appointed committee), and access to its search results through syndication. Competitors will be allowed to use Google’s results for up to 40% of their total searches each year for the next five years.
Open AI saved Google.
The ruling stopped short of forcing Google to sell Chrome, largely because of growing pressure from OpenAI and others. The ruling is one of the strongest examples of how quickly AI search platforms like ChaptGPT are cutting into Google’s marketing share.
Siri gets an upgrade.
This week several news outlets reported that Apple is overhauling Siri. According to Bloomberg:
Apple is aiming to release the service, described by some executives as an “answer engine,” in the spring as part of a long-delayed overhaul to Siri, said the people, who asked not to be identified because the plans haven’t been announced.
The idea is to make Siri and Apple’s operating systems a place where users can look up information from across the internet — in a similar fashion to ChatGPT, AI Overviews in Google Search and a crop of new apps. The approach will rely on large language models, or LLMs, a key technology underpinning generative AI.
The underlying technology enabling the new Siri could come in part from Alphabet Inc.’s Google, Apple’s longtime partner in internet search. The companies reached a formal agreement this week for Apple to evaluate and test a Google-developed AI model to help power the voice assistant, the people said.
Apple controls 60% of the US smart phone market. As IOS makes AI upgrades, watch out for shifts in mobile AI search use and results.