"Google's Digital Market Monopoly" Response Issued
US DOJ Files Two Antitrust Lawsuits Against Google
Google's artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot 'Bard' has drawn attention by responding that the U.S. Department of Justice's decision to sue Google for antitrust violations is "justified."
Jane Manchun Wong, a well-known IT blogger and security expert from Hong Kong, posted a conversation with 'Bard' on her Twitter account on the 21st (local time). Among the questions was the content of the antitrust lawsuit filed by the U.S. Department of Justice against Google in January.
Wong asked, "The U.S. Department of Justice sued Google, claiming it monopolizes digital advertising technology. Which side would you take, the DOJ or Google?" Bard replied, "I would side with the DOJ. Google monopolizes digital advertising technology, and because of this, it is engaging in anticompetitive behavior."
Bard went further to cite specific examples of Google's antitrust cases. Bard stated, "Google has acquired other competing companies, forced other websites to use its software tools, and restricted ad access. These actions harm consumers in the digital advertising market and hinder innovation." Bard added, "The lawsuit filed by the DOJ against Google is an important step necessary to protect competition and ensure a fair and open market," and expressed hope that "the DOJ breaks Google's monopoly."
Local netizens who saw Wong's post commented that "Google was betrayed by its own product," and "Google's legal team might not know how to view Bard going forward," seeing this as an embarrassing situation for Google. However, some praised Bard, saying, "This could be evidence that Google did not hide data unfavorable to itself."
On January 24, the U.S. Department of Justice, along with eight states including California and New York, sued Google for "illegal monopoly in the digital advertising market." This lawsuit is the second filed by the U.S. government against Google; previously, in 2020, Google was sued for its search business, accused of "monopolistic practices."
According to the DOJ, Google accounts for about one-quarter of the U.S. digital advertising market, worth $278.6 billion annually, and has aggressively acquired competing companies in the past to expand its market share.
Google has strongly opposed the DOJ's actions. In an official statement at the time, Google said, "The government is trying to pick winners and losers in the highly competitive advertising technology sector," and added, "The DOJ's claims slow innovation, raise advertising costs, and make it harder for thousands of small businesses to grow."
Meanwhile, Bard was launched on the 21st. It is a conversational generative AI that allows users to type questions and receive answers, positioned as a rival to OpenAI's 'ChatGPT.'
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
