The U.S. government is seeking to demonstrate that Google’s competitors encounter significant obstacles when trying to enter the market, as part of its antitrust case against the tech giant. To strengthen its case, the government has called upon Nick Turley, ChaptGPT’s head of product, to testify as a witness.
Following a significant ruling in August which determined Google’s monopoly in search, the Department of Justice is now asking the court to determine appropriate penalties, such as separating Chrome or imposing a 10-year ban on releasing any browser products.
To strengthen its argument, the DOJ has enlisted the help of various Google competitors including OpenAI, Microsoft, and Perplexity. The DOJ is specifically seeking testimony from executives like Dmitry Shevelenko, Chief Business Officer of Perplexity. It is uncertain if Shevelenko will comply with the request at this time.
Recent legal documents confirm that Nick Turley, head of product for ChatGPT at OpenAI, will serve as a witness for the U.S. government’s case.
Google’s lawyers indicated that Turley was selected by the DOJ to provide testimony on OpenAI’s behalf. Turley is expected to address various topics related to generative AI and its impact on search access points, entry barriers, expansion, and data sharing.
The DOJ refers to “search access points” as products like Google Chrome. Interestingly, ChatGPT launched its own AI search browser in October 2024.
In preparation for Turley’s testimony, Google has requested documents from OpenAI related to the case, leading to a disagreement between the two parties regarding the extent of evidence to be provided.
OpenAI has agreed to share some documents regarding Turley’s work and strategies related to AI products, their integration into search-related products, and their partnership with Microsoft.
Both Google and OpenAI are at odds over the demand for additional documents and the timing of the evidence requested, with OpenAI requesting the court to reject Google’s requests.
OpenAI, Google, and the DOJ have not provided additional comments on the matter.
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