Apple backs Google on EU AI

Apple has now aligned itself publicly with Google in a live EU fight over how much access rival AI assistants should get inside Android. The immediate trigger is not the EU AI Act. It is a Digital Markets Act proceeding aimed at Google’s Android business. On April 27, the European Commission published draft measures saying Google should ensure third-party AI services can interoperate with key Android capabilities, including carrying out actions such as sending emails, ordering food or sharing photos through a user’s chosen apps. The Commission said the process stems from specification proceedings opened on January 27 and that it is seeking feedback before adopting a final decision. (digital-markets-act.ec.europa.eu) Apple entered that fight on May 13. In comments first reported by Reuters and then amplified by other outlets, Apple backed Google’s objections and said the proposed measures would create risks for privacy, security and safety. Reuters reported Apple was responding to the Commission’s request for feedback on draft remedies for Google under the DMA. (money.usnews.com) That matters because Apple is not the company being regulated in this case. Google is. Apple chose to intervene anyway, which turns a Google-versus-Brussels compliance dispute into a broader industry position from two of the biggest mobile platform companies. Reuters described Apple as echoing Google’s criticism of efforts to force Google to help AI rivals access its services. (money.usnews.com) What Brussels is trying to do is fairly specific. The Commission’s draft says competing AI services should be able to interact effectively with Android apps and device features, so users can choose an assistant other than Google’s own and still complete system-level tasks. The examples in the Commission notice are practical ones: sending an email, ordering food, or sharing a photo. (digital-markets-act.ec.europa.eu) What Google and now Apple are arguing is also specific. Their case is that deeper access for outside AI systems is not a neutral plumbing change; it could expose sensitive user data and weaken platform safeguards. Reuters said Apple warned the measures posed risks to privacy, security and safety. Infobae separately framed Apple’s position as arguing AI is not a superficial feature that can be added or removed without consequences. (money.usnews.com) The regulatory clock is already running. The Commission said the Android draft measures were issued as preliminary findings on April 27 after proceedings opened on January 27. Several reports tracking the case say Brussels is working toward a final specification decision by July 27, 2026. That July date appears in secondary coverage and matches the DMA process described by the Commission. (digital-markets-act.ec.europa.eu) So the core of the story is narrower, and more consequential, than “Apple backs Google on EU AI” might initially sound. Apple is siding with Google against a DMA interoperability push that would make Android’s AI layer more open to rivals. Brussels says the goal is user choice and fair access. Apple and Google say the cost could be weaker privacy and security protections. (digital-markets-act.ec.europa.eu) The next hard marker is the Commission’s final decision, expected by July 27, 2026, in the Android specification proceeding. (digital-markets-act.ec.europa.eu)