The Search Engine Giant, Google, in the hot seat again, facing a massive antitrust trial. But this time around—it’s not just about their past in the advertising or Search market share. Nope, the future of AI is getting pulled into this mess too, and honestly, that’s where things get really interesting.
Sure, the trial focuses on Google’s past in the ad space, but now people are starting to question how their AI plays into the mix.
Google’s been talking up AI like it’s the next big thing, and it kind of is.
But some experts think Google’s just using it as a smoke screen, , trying to distract everyone from the real deal: their iron grip on digital advertising.
I mean, they’re the top dog and not even rising stars like OpenAI and Perplexity seem to be knocking them off their throne.
According to Datos, Perplexity is just 3% the size of ChatGPT and a teeny 0.4% of Google.
Thomas Höppner, a competition lawyer, straight-up calls Google’s AI chatter a “red herring.”
He thinks they’re using it to dodge accountability in the ad space.
In fact, their AI dominance might actually increase their power in ad-tech.
Just Think about it: if Google keeps rolling out free AI tools for small businesses, they could push out ad agencies entirely.
Remember, when they acquired Character AI for a cool $3 billion? Barely a blip in the news.
When you’re Google, it’s just another Tuesday for you.
Speaking of acquisitions, Microsoft also pulled a similar move with Inflection AI.
These big players are snapping up startups not because they need them, but to squash competition before it becomes a threat.
Kinda like how Amazon used to roll back in the day, whenever some new e-commerce player popped up on their radar.
One of Google’s crown jewels is Performance Max, their AI-driven ad platform.
Google’s been touting it like it’s the best thing since Wi-Fi, bragging about how it can reach users across millions of websites.
But ad experts are concerned. Google has so much data, they’re improving their AI faster than anyone else, leaving smaller competitors in the dust.
It’s a classic case of “the rich get richer.”
It’s not just about search anymore. Google’s algorithms have become a key focus in the trial.
The DOJ’s complaint points out how Google’s scale gives them an unfair advantage, creating a flywheel effect where more data leads to better AI, which leads to more users, which leads to—you guessed it—more data.
It’s like Google’s playing a game of Monopoly, and they already own all the good properties.
Experts like Ted Sfikas are worried too. He thinks Google could use AI revenue-sharing deals (like the ones they’ve made with Apple and AT&T) to stomp out any chance of AI competition.
He basically said that if If Google keeps hogging everything from gathering the data to figuring out what it all means, they’ll be like Exxon back in the day, owning the oil fields, the gas stations, AND the cars.
We wouldn’t let Exxon pull that kinda stunt, so why the heck are we letting Google turn the internet into their own personal playground?
Even Google knows AI has its risks. They’ve admitted that AI will likely lead to more harmful ads, like deepfakes.
They’re blocking more ads than ever, but the problem’s only going to grow.
So, where does that leave us?
Well, this trial could be a total game-changer for AI, advertising, and the whole tech scene.
Whether Google gets to stay on its throne or finally has to deal with some serious competition is still anyone’s guess.
