After launching a consultation in April, this ruling is binding and considered EU law, and Google has almost precisely one year to implement the changes.
The changes are broad and reach across Android, from demanding that other assistants should be voice-activated like «Hey, Gemini» to giving other AIs broad system access to software, hardware and sensors on the phone.
For the consumer, that includes the ability to broadly call on Android apps to do tasks, like drafting and sending email from a preferred app, or ordering food delivery from start to finish.
Interchangeable information
Assistants should also be able to do things like live translation, and they should be able to proactively alert users of events like replies to a social media post, or track flights and interchange information, like taking a flight number from one place and using it another.
These changes should be «free and effective,» The Commission says, but also implements a method to make sure there is vetting of AI labs vying to use these features safely.
Google has responded that this risks «undermining vital privacy and security guardrails,» and that they will «continue advocating for a balanced approach.» Meaning we haven’t heard the last of this yet.
Read more: The EU Commission’s statement, The actual ruling, EU’s Q&A, and Google’s response . Reporting on The Verge, Ars Technica, and Reuters.