Google, Chrome and U.S. National Security
By Rebecca Grant: The Department of Justice (DoJ) wants Google to sell off its Chrome internet browser, and maybe Android, too. While the issue will go to court next spring, the announcement of DoJ’s proposed remedies raised big questions about the role of Google and other companies in the national strategy for AI and, specifically, how to stay ahead of China.
As other tech leaders have noted, Google’s search results create rich material for training AI models. Despite a recent recommendation for a government-funded Manhattan project for AI, private industry drives innovation. Top AI companies, including Apple, Nvidia, Microsoft, Alphabet, Tesla, Palantir and others wield far more money for investment than the U.S. government.
“The net effect of these proposals would be to kneecap Google in ways that would hamstring the company, harm American consumers, and undermine the competitive foundations of the U.S. economy,” wrote Stephen Moore.
As for Chrome, it has been the top browser for years. Chrome crossed 50% of the market share back in 2015 and held a 54% share as of September 2024, with Apple’s Safari in second place at 31% and other browsers like Edge and Firefox still in the mix. Google’s Lee-Anne Mulholland, Vice President of Regulatory Affairs, said Chrome is “a secure, fast, and free browser and its open-source code provides the backbone for numerous competing browsers” and pointed out few other companies would have the incentive to keep Chrome free, and to continue to invest in it.
The national security element of AI includes public diplomacy as well as keeping the U.S. ahead of China in AI technology advances. In September, Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai told the UN that Google used AI to add 110 new languages to Google Translate last year, bringing the total to 246. The goal is to include 1,000 of the world’s most spoken languages.
The DoJ first brought its case back in 2020, before AI moved to the center of the national security competition with China. The incoming Trump administration will have to move fast to protect the nation’s AI edge.