Apple Backs Google in EU AI Access Fight

Apple has filed arguments with EU regulators siding with Google against a proposal that would force Google to open its AI services and underlying data to rival providers under the Digital Markets Act. The filing is striking given that Apple and Google compete directly in AI assistants, but both companies find themselves aligned against mandatory interoperability requirements that Brussels is considering as an antitrust remedy. The EU proposal would compel Google to share AI infrastructure and training data with competitors as a condition of operating in the bloc. Apple's intervention argues this goes too far, effectively treating proprietary AI systems as public utilities. Both companies stand to lose if the principle extends beyond Google, since Apple's own AI stack would become a candidate for similar obligations. Essentially: (Apple, Google) are forming a defensive coalition against EU-mandated AI openness, even while competing against each other everywhere else. - The case sits at the intersection of the Digital Markets Act and AI Act, testing whether competition rules can override the IP protections AI developers rely on. - Apple's filing gives Google's position political cover and signals that major platform operators view interoperability mandates as an existential threat to proprietary AI investment. - No ruling date has been set, but the outcome will set binding precedent for how Brussels treats AI data access obligations across all designated gatekeepers. If the EU prevails, every large AI system operated by a gatekeeper platform becomes a potential target for compelled sharing, reshaping where companies choose to build and deploy AI infrastructure.