Alphabet-owned Google will begin integrating its Gemini artificial intelligence model into the Chrome browser for U.S. users starting Thursday, marking a significant expansion of its AI strategy just weeks after avoiding a forced breakup in an antitrust case, Reuters reported.
Earlier this month, Judge Amit Mehta of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia ruled that Google would not be required to divest its Chrome browser or Android mobile operating system. The decision delivered a rare victory to Big Tech in ongoing antitrust battles. However, the court imposed behavioral remedies, including restrictions on certain exclusive contracts with device makers and browser developers. Google was also ordered to share data with competitors in order to foster greater competition in online search.
The integration of Gemini underscores Google’s determination to defend and expand its market position in the face of heightened regulatory scrutiny and intensifying competition. By embedding Gemini directly into Chrome, Google aims to position its flagship browser against a new wave of so-called “agentic browsers,” which employ AI to perform tasks for users. Among the challengers is Perplexity, which recently made an unsolicited $34.5 billion all-cash bid for Chrome and has been developing its own AI-powered browser, Comet.
Despite regulatory constraints, Google remains free to continue its long-standing practice of paying partners such as Apple to feature its search engine by default—arrangements that have been central to its dominance in search. Meanwhile, Apple has reportedly approached Google about using Gemini to overhaul its Siri voice assistant, according to Bloomberg News reports in August.
The court’s decision to preserve Google’s core assets while curbing some of its contracting practices illustrates the delicate balance U.S. antitrust authorities are striking between preserving competition and avoiding market disruption. For Google, the immediate result is the freedom to leverage Chrome and Android as key distribution channels for its AI ambitions—an advantage it now seeks to consolidate through Gemini’s rollout.
