Google CEO Sundar Pichai highlighted the competitive nature of the field of artificial intelligence (AI) on Tuesday, as the search giant seeks to fight the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) push to break up the company.
Pichai took the stand for about an hour and a half as part of a three-week hearing to help the court determine corrective measures after Google was found last August to have an illegal monopoly over online search.
The case has increasingly centered on the future of AI and what the technology could mean for Google’s dominance.
Pichai on Tuesday described his push to make Google an “AI-first company,” detailing how the technology is used across the company’s products, including search.
The tech firm also has a separate AI chatbot called Gemini, which the CEO said faces stiff competition from the likes of ChatGPT, Grok and DeepSeek.
“I’m pleased with the progress [on AI], but we have a big gap between us and the market leader in this space,” he said, referring to ChatGPT maker OpenAI.
He noted that Google lost out to OpenAI on a deal with Apple to integrate its AI capabilities on the iPhone maker’s devices.
The DOJ has argued that the court should look to the future as it seeks to address the monopolization finding in the case, taking into account how Google’s search dominance could give it a leg up on AI.
The government is asking the court to force Google to divest from its Chrome browser, in addition to sharing its search data and syndication with rivals. It also seeks to bar the exclusive search agreements at the core of the case.
The court found that Google illegally maintained its monopoly through the exclusive agreements with device manufacturers and browser developers that ensured its search product was the default.
The tech giant has criticized the government’s proposal, arguing it goes well beyond the facts of the case. It has instead suggested more limited restrictions on its search agreements.
Pichai argued Tuesday that the DOJ’s remedies, particularly on data sharing and syndication, would discourage the company from investing in research and development, describing it as a “de facto divestiture.”
He also reiterated the company’s concerns about data privacy and security surrounding both data sharing and the Chrome divestiture.
However, DOJ attorney Veronica Onyema sought to underscore in her cross-examination of the Google CEO that other companies can provide data security and that Google has had its own privacy problems in the past.
Pichai also confirmed to Onyema that Apple has expressed interest in reaching agreements with AI providers other than OpenAI and that Google hopes to strike a deal by the middle of this year.
Google faces an increasingly uncertain future after losing two major antitrust cases. Earlier this month, a federal judge in Virginia ruled that the tech firm also had an illegal monopoly over advertising technology.
The tech firm has claimed a partial victory in the ad tech case, after the judge rejected the DOJ’s arguments that there was a separate advertiser market and that its ad tech acquisitions were unlawful. The company has vowed to appeal the rest of the decision.
Google also plans to appeal the ruling in the search case, but it must first complete the remedies phase. The judge overseeing the case has said he intends to rule by August.
