Apple announced this week that it would delay the introduction of AI features to its EU devices due to security concerns related to the DMA.
EU competition commissioner Margrethe Vestager called Apple’s decision to delay the launch of certain AI features in the EU a “shocking, open declaration” that the company wants to “cripple competition” in the region.
Vestager, who has been vocal about her concerns about Apple’s so-called “walled garden” and alleged aversion to open competition, was speaking at a Forum Europe event yesterday (27 June).
“I think it’s very interesting that they’re saying, ‘We’re going to introduce AI where there’s no obligation to enable competition,'” she said when asked for her thoughts on Apple’s recent decision.
Earlier this week, Apple announced plans to delay the release of several upcoming AI features in the EU market due to issues with requirements arising from the Digital Markets Act (DMA), which regulates anti-competitive behaviour.
The company’s AI feature, “Apple Intelligence,” is expected to launch in the US later this year, but not in the EU until 2025. Other features that have been delayed are iPhone Mirroring and SharePlay screen sharing, according to Bloomberg.
DMAs are intended to force big companies to change their policies and allow smaller companies to compete on a level playing field. One example of this is interoperability: big companies like Apple must guarantee that competing services work on their devices, like the iPhone.
“I think this is the most astonishing, open declaration that they are 100% aware that this is another way to cripple competition where they are already based,” Vestager told the audience.
Apple is currently under EU investigation due to concerns that the company’s current practices violate DMA regulations. One of the investigations is looking into Apple’s measures to comply with DMA obligations, while the other is looking into Apple’s “steering rules” due to concerns that Apple’s restrictions on the App Store could “restrict” developers’ ability to promote their offers or enter into direct contracts.
“Personally, I’m relieved that I don’t have the AI update service on my iPhone,” Vestager told Politico when asked about Apple’s decision to delay the launch of AI features in the EU. “For me it was like, ‘Thanks, but no thanks.'”
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Margrethe Vestager, EU Competition Commissioner, 2018. Image: Diarmuid Greene/Web Summit via Flickr (CC by 2.0)
