The European Union (EU) Commission has begun gathering industry opinions regarding the contract to install Google's generative artificial intelligence (AI) 'Gemini' on Samsung Electronics' flagship smartphone Galaxy S24 series and others.
According to major foreign media on the 17th (local time), the Commission is asking whether pre-installing 'Gemini Nano' limits the number of other generative AI systems that can be installed on the device.
It is also checking whether pre-installing Gemini restricts interoperability with other chatbot apps. The Commission is reported to have distributed an eight-page document containing these details to the industry.
They also requested explanations on whether there have been cases where contracts to pre-install Samsung's own developed chatbot were attempted but failed, and if so, the reasons for such failures.
Earlier last month, the Commission requested information regarding the AI partnership between Samsung and Google. The current industry opinion gathering appears to be a follow-up measure. It is reported that the opinion collection process will be completed this week.
If the Commission discovers anti-competitive practices during this process, it could influence the initiation of antitrust investigations against the companies involved.
Samsung Electronics formed a partnership with Google earlier this year and pre-installed Gemini Nano and Gemini Pro on the S24 series by default.
Margrethe Vestager, EU Executive Vice President in charge of competition, said on the 28th of last month, "We requested the necessary information to better understand the impact of the agreement between Google and Samsung Electronics to pre-install Gemini Nano on specific Samsung devices."
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