Nick Turley, OpenAI’s Head of Product, testified in Washington that the company would be interested in acquiring Google’s Chrome browser if antitrust enforcers succeed in forcing Alphabet to sell the popular web browser.
This testimony was part of a high-profile trial in which the US Department of Justice is pushing to break up Google’s monopoly in the online search and advertising markets, Reuters reported on Tuesday.
The DOJ’s case centres on Google’s dominance in online search, which it argues unfairly stifles competition. A key aspect of the DOJ’s proposed remedies includes requiring Google to divest assets, including its Chrome browser, to restore a more competitive search environment.
According to the report, Turley’s statement provided insight into OpenAI’s competitive positioning within the generative AI space.
He noted that Google’s refusal to partner with OpenAI for access to its search technology within ChatGPT had pushed the company to explore alternative partnerships, particularly with Microsoft’s Bing.
Turley had previously written that ChatGPT leads the consumer chatbot market and did not consider Google its biggest competitor, according to an internal OpenAI document presented by Google’s lawyers during the trial.
He clarified that the document was meant to inspire OpenAI employees and emphasised that the company would still benefit from distribution partnerships, Reuters reported.
Earlier in the day, Turley testified that Google rejected OpenAI’s bid to use its search technology within ChatGPT.
OpenAI had reached out to Google after experiencing issues with its own search provider, Turley said, though he did not identify the provider. ChatGPT currently uses Microsoft’s Bing for search.
“We believe having multiple partners, and in particular Google’s API, would enable us to provide a better product to users,” OpenAI had told Google in an email shown at the trial.
OpenAI first reached out in July, but Google declined the request in August, citing concerns about competition. “We have no partnership with Google today,” Turley said.
The trial also highlighted Google’s internal strategy, including efforts to secure exclusive search agreements with major Android device manufacturers like Samsung.
According to Turley, such exclusivity could hinder the development of competing AI technologies, like ChatGPT, which depend on a range of search and data sources.