Artificial-intelligence competition in Europe: the role of DMA Article 6(7)

The European Commission has issued a draft specification under Article 6(7) of the Digital Markets Act to regulate competition within the artificial intelligence assistant market on mobile devices. This intervention specifically targets Google Android, requiring the company to share critical access points with rival AI providers on equivalent terms. The move aims to prevent the monopolization of AI services while fostering a more innovative environment for AI developers and investors across Europe.

The European Commission’s draft specification for Article 6(7) of the Digital Markets Act (DMA), issued in April 2026, represents a substantive intervention aimed at ensuring fair competition for AI assistants on Google Android devices. The regulation identifies specific access points—including invocation surfaces, contextual data, on-device actions, and system-level model resources—that are essential for an AI assistant to function effectively. Google is now required to share these access points with qualifying rival providers on terms equivalent to those its own services receive, a move intended to prevent AI service monopolization and bypass the need for lengthy antitrust cases.

This regulatory shift is expected to have a significant positive impact on AI innovation within Europe by establishing a level playing field for both domestic and international providers. By decoupling commercial success from the ownership of distribution channels, the specification ensures that the merits of an AI service determine its market performance. Consequently, the expected returns for founding and investing in AI companies in Europe are likely to rise, as the region becomes a more predictable environment for technological competition.

Despite the progress on the Android platform, a regulatory gap persists regarding Apple’s iOS ecosystem and its 500 million European users. The Commission’s future enforcement of the DMA will be critical in evaluating the Apple-Google Gemini partnership to ensure it does not stifle competition in AI services. As Apple prepares to market Siri-enabled handsets in the region, its compliance with these standards will determine whether further investigations are necessary to maintain a competitive AI landscape.