EU Competition Commissioner Says Apple's Decision To Pull AI From EU Shows Anticompetitive Behavior

Apple's decision not to launch its own AI features in the EU is a 'stunning declaration' of its anticompetitive behavior, European Commission Vice-President Margrethe Vestager said. From a report: About two weeks ago, Apple announced it will not launch its homegrown AI features in the EU, saying that interoperability required by the EU's Digital Markets Act (DMA) could hurt user privacy and security. A few days later, the Commission accused Apple's App Store of DMA breaches. Apple's move to roll back its AI plans in Europe is the most 'stunning, open declaration that they know 100% that this is another way of disabling competition where they have a stronghold already,' Vestager, the Commission's vice president for a Europe fit for the digital age and Commissioner for Competition, told a Forum Europa event.

The 'short version of the DMA [Digital Markets Act]' is that to operate in Europe, companies have to be open for competition, said Vestager. The DMA foresees fines of up to 10% of annual revenue, which in Apple's case could be over $32.2 billion, based on its previous financial performance. For repeated infringements, that percentage could double.

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