US government is not breaking up Google, and how the 'reason' is ChatGPT-maker OpenAI

In a landmark antitrust ruling, the US District Judge Amit Mehta has ruled that Google can retain its

Android operating system

and Chrome browser. The ruling decided not to break up Google’s core businesses, citing the rapid emergence of artificial intelligence companies — particularly ChatGPT-maker OpenAI — as a credible competitive threat to the search giant’s dominance.As reported by Business Insider, the decision concludes the five-year ling legal battle in which

US Department of Justice

(DOJ) accused Google of illegally monopolising the online search market via exclusive deals and control over platforms like Andorra and Chrome. The court does found out that Google was engaged in anticompetitive practices, but Judge Mehta ruled that structural remedies such as breaking up the company were unnecessary in light of shifting market dynamics.

Artificial Intelligence: The game changer

In the ruling Judge Mehta pointed out that the rapid rise in the generative AI tools acts as a disruptive force and is capable of challenging Google’s supremacy in search. He particularly referred to OpenAI’s popular chatbot

ChatGPT

and other AI-powered assistants as “better placed to compete with Google than any search engine developer has been in decades.”The Judge also argued that the these technologies have already managed to alter how people find and consume information. These technologies have also reduced the need for a traditional search engine and is also creating new kind of competitive pressure.

Data-sharing mandate for Google

The ruling has not dismantled Google, instead the court order the tech giant to share certain search data with its rivals which also includes AI firms in order to create a level playing field. This requirement is intended to help competitors train their models and improve their services, accelerating innovation in the search and AI sectors.

Apple deal survives, investors cheer

Along with Android operating system and Google Chrome, the court has also allowed Google to continue paying Apple — reportedly around $20 billion annually in order to remain the default search engine on its devices. After this judgement, the shares of Alphabet rose by 7.2% and Apple also gained 3% in extended trading.

Broader implications

The ruling underscores how quickly AI has shifted the competitive landscape in tech. By recognizing OpenAI and similar companies as viable challengers, the court signaled that the next phase of the search wars may be fought not between traditional web portals, but between search engines and AI assistants.