Withholding Apple Intelligence from the EU is a ‘staggering statement’

The decision to deny Apple Intelligence to EU countries amounts to an “open and stunning declaration” of anti-competitive behavior, according to the bloc’s vice president and competition regulator Margrethe Vestager.

Vestager made the remarks while speaking at a conference organized to discuss new ideas for strengthening the European Union…

Apple announced last week that it would exclude EU countries from rolling out Apple Intelligence features in the fall, citing competition rules as the reason.

Apple has warned that it will not roll out the iPhone’s new artificial intelligence features in Europe when they launch elsewhere this year, citing “uncertainties” arising from Brussels’ new competition rules (…)

Apple said Friday: “Due to regulatory uncertainties caused by the Digital Markets Act, we do not expect to be able to roll out three of these (new) features – iPhone Mirroring, SharePlay screen sharing improvements, and Apple Intelligence – to our EU users this year.

Vestager described it as a stunning admission.

I find it very interesting that they say that we are now going to deploy AI where we are not required to allow competition. I think that is a most astonishing open statement that they know 100% that this is another way of disabling competition where they already have a stronghold.

You can watch the corresponding section below (it should automatically start at this quote, otherwise it’s at 1:17:15).

We’ve reached out to Apple for comment and will keep you updated with any response.

Via Euractiv. Image: Forum Europa.