Athira Sethu
Kochi, 23 April 2025
OpenAI, the firm behind ChatGPT, has indicated interest in acquiring Google’s Chrome browser if the U.S. government requires Google to divest it. This was revealed during a trial in Washington, D.C., in which the Department of Justice (DOJ) is pursuing reforms in Google’s business practices to restore competition in the online search space.
Google was already found to have a monopoly over search and related ads by a judge, but Google is appealing the ruling. The DOJ says that this monopoly is bad for competition and provides Google with unfair benefits, particularly in the emerging area of artificial intelligence (AI).
Nick Turley, an executive at OpenAI, testified that OpenAI had already approached Google to utilize its search technology for ChatGPT but was rejected. Turley said that OpenAI feels that having access to various search engines, including Google’s, would enhance its AI products. Even though Google rejected it, OpenAI is still willing to make other alliances to develop its chatbot.
Turley also noted that ChatGPT uses current search information to produce correct answers but that OpenAI is years away from creating its own search tool. Moreover, the trial discovered that Google utilized exclusive agreements with firms such as Samsung to place its search tool as the default on devices. These deals, the DOJ says, block good competition in the market.
Google has since relaxed some of these exclusivity deals, but the DOJ wishes for the company to do more by ending such practices. In the trial, Google stated that their current deals with device makers allow rival search engines and AI products to be used on new devices.
In conclusion, OpenAI’s potential interest in purchasing Chrome highlights the ongoing legal battle over Google’s monopoly and the competitive landscape of online search and AI technology.
