US Market
The fate and fortunes of one of the world’s most powerful tech companies now sit in the hands of a United States judge wrestling with whether to impose far-reaching changes upon Google in the wake of its dominant search engine being declared an illegal monopoly.
US District Judge Amit Mehta heard closing arguments Friday from US Justice Department lawyers who argued that a radical shake-up is needed to promote a free and fair market.
Their proposed remedies include a ban on Google paying to lock its search engine in as the default on smart devices and an order requiring the company to sell its Chrome browser.
Google’s legal team argued that only minor concessions are needed and urged Mehta not to unduly punish the company with a harsh ruling that could squelch future innovations. Google also argued that upheaval triggered by advances in artificial intelligence already is reshaping the search landscape, as conversational search options are rolling out from AI start-ups that are hoping to use the Department of Justice’s four-and-half-year-old case to gain the upper hand in the next technological frontier.
It was an argument that Mehta appeared to give serious consideration as he marvelled at the speed at which the AI industry was growing. He also indicated he was still undecided on how much AI’s potential to shake up the search market should be incorporated in his forthcoming ruling.