Investing.com -- Alphabet (NASDAQ: GOOGL )’s Google reportedly considered striking exclusive deals with Android phone manufacturers such as Samsung last year. These deals would have provided exclusivity not only for Google’s search app but also for its Gemini AI app and Chrome browser, as per a document presented on the second day of an ongoing antitrust trial, as reported by Reuters.

The U.S. Department of Justice, along with a wide coalition of state attorneys general, are pursuing an order from a Washington judge that would compel Google to sell its Chrome browser among other measures. Their goal is to terminate what the judge identified as Google’s monopoly over online search and related advertising.

According to U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta’s ruling, Google shielded its search monopoly via exclusive agreements with Samsung Electronics (KS: 005930 ) and other companies. These agreements mandated Google’s search engine to be installed as the default on new devices.

On Monday, prosecutors expressed concerns that Google’s search monopoly could provide it an edge in the AI sector. They also suggested that Google’s AI products could be another means to direct users to its search engine.

Google, however, has countered that the case is not about AI and that it experiences strong competition from other firms, including Meta Platforms (NASDAQ: META ).

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