The U.S. authorities desires to show that Google’s rivals face overwhelming boundaries to entry as a part of its antitrust case in opposition to the tech big. So it’s turning to ChaptGPT’s head of product, Nick Turley, to testify as a witness in hopes he’ll assist fortify its case.
In a landmark ruling final August, a court docket decided that Google holds a monopoly in search. Whereas Google appeals this determination, the Division of Justice is now asking the court docket to resolve what penalties it ought to face, reminiscent of spinning off Chrome or a 10-year ban on releasing any browser product.
To bolster its case, the DOJ has pulled in numerous Google rivals like OpenAI, Microsoft, and Perplexity. It desires particular executives, like Perplexity’s Chief Enterprise Officer Dmitry Shevelenko, to testify. (It’s not clear but whether or not Shevelenko will achieve this. Perplexity didn’t reply instantly to a request for remark.)
Current authorized filings verify {that a} prime government from OpenAI, Nick Turley, head of product for ChatGPT, will testify as a witness for the U.S. authorities’s case.
“Mr. Turley is a witness handpicked by Plaintiffs [the DOJ] to testify on OpenAI’s behalf,” Google’s attorneys wrote in a January 16 authorized submitting.
“Mr. Turley is the OpenAI witness who will testify on behalf of the federal government on the Evidentiary Listening to,” one other submitting from January 16 reads.
Not one of the filings specify precisely when Turley will testify. Turley is anticipated to be requested by the U.S. about “generative AI’s relationship with Search Entry Factors, distribution, boundaries to entry and enlargement, and knowledge sharing,” per the submitting. The DOJ hasn’t offered particulars about what it desires to ask Turley. (These are the very same matters it desires to ask Perplexity’s CBO about.)
The DOJ makes use of the time period “search entry factors” to discuss with merchandise like Google Chrome that folks use to go looking the online. Notably, in October 2024, ChatGPT launched its personal AI search browser.
To organize itself for Turley’s testimony, Google has subpoenaed OpenAI for paperwork associated to the case. However the two firms at the moment are in a heated dispute over the extent of proof OpenAI ought to present.
In a authorized submitting on January 16, Google criticized OpenAI for producing “stunningly few paperwork.” OpenAI’s attorneys fired again, noting that Google’s calls for for paperwork from prime executives like CEO Sam Altman look like a “Computer virus meant to harass OpenAI executives.”
OpenAI has agreed to share some paperwork from Turley’s work recordsdata about OpenAI’s technique on AI merchandise, its integration of AI into search-related merchandise, and its Microsoft partnership, a letter from OpenAI’s attorneys exhibits.
Google says it wants extra paperwork from extra executives, as relying totally on Turley “would prejudice Google” since Turley is a witness “handpicked” by the U.S. authorities, in response to the submitting.
Google additionally desires paperwork from OpenAI that predate the launch of ChatGPT in November 2022, claiming these “might undermine Mr. Turley’s testimony relating to boundaries to entry in a method that post-launch paperwork wouldn’t.” However OpenAI says paperwork that previous “can’t meaningfully signify” the present AI panorama.
Each side seem at an deadlock and OpenAI has requested the court docket reject the total scope of Google’s requested proof.
OpenAI and Google didn’t reply to requests for remark. The DOJ declined to remark.
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