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Research30 Oct 2026By Visibian Research

The EU orders Google to share search data with AI chatbots: what brands can do

From January 2027 Google must share anonymised search data with rival search engines in the EU, AI chatbots included. Google has appealed. What a brand can do.

On 16 July the European Commission told Google how it must share its search data. It did so under the Digital Markets Act, the EU law for the largest online platforms. From January 2027 Google must share data from Google Search, with personal details taken out, with rival search engines. The Commission says AI chatbots that offer search can get it too. A second decision opens Android to other AI assistants from July 2027 (European Commission, 16 July).

On 29 September Google appealed both decisions to the EU's General Court. It says the data would be shared without enough anonymisation (Euronews, 29 September). The Commission says the decisions are binding and Google must meet their dates.

Figure 1From the first step to the changes users will see
  1. Opened27 January 2026. The Commission opens two cases, on search data and on Android.
  2. Decided16 July 2026. Two binding decisions set out how Google must comply.
  3. Appeal29 September 2026. Google appeals both to the EU's General Court.
  4. SharingFrom January 2027 Google must share search data with eligible rivals.
  5. AndroidFrom July 2027 people in the EU can choose and use other AI assistants more fully.
From the European Commission, 16 July, and Euronews, 29 September, checked 29 October 2026.

The data is what people type into Google Search, what they see and click, and where each result sat on the page. Account details and search histories are not shared, exact times are left out, locations are made less precise, and rare or very long searches are removed. A rival may use the data only to improve its search: not to train general-purpose AI models, and not for profiling or advertising. To qualify it needs at least 50,000 users a month in the EU and must pass an independent audit (European Commission).

What a brand can do now

  1. Expect nothing before January 2027, and possibly later. Court cases like this one usually take years, and a court could also pause a decision while it runs.
  2. Treat Google clicks as a signal others may see. Rival assistants in the EU may learn from the results people pick in Google. Then the pages people choose for your buyers' questions matter beyond Google. Titles and descriptions that say plainly what a page offers help people pick it.
  3. Watch answers in the EU on their own. Once rivals use the data, AI answers in Europe may start to differ from those in the US. If you sell in the EU, look at the answers there as well as in your other markets.
  4. Plan for more assistants on Android. From July 2027 people in the EU should be able to call another assistant by voice. They can let it act in apps, for example to book a taxi. If people order or book through your app, it may be used by assistants other than Gemini.

Google's other changes this month, ads in AI Mode in more countries and apps for AI Mode and Gemini, are in our AI search timeline.