At one point, it looked as if Google would be busted up by the Federal government for having a monopoly on search engines. Now, that possibility is gone after U.S. District Court Judge Amit P. Mehta ruled Google will not be busted up.
Google avoids breakup as court ruling fuels AI Mode expansion – Digital Watch Observatory
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Excerpt:
A US district judge has declined to order a breakup of Google, softening the blow of a 2024 ruling that found the company had illegally monopolised online search.
The decision means Google can press ahead with its shift from a search engine into an answer engine, powered by generative AI.
Google’s AI Mode replaces traditional blue links with direct responses to queries, echoing the style of ChatGPT. While the feature is optional for now, it could become the default.
That alarms publishers, who depend on search traffic for advertising revenue. Studies suggest chatbots reduce referral clicks by more than 90 percent, leaving many sites at risk of collapse.
