Google LLC has been paying Samsung Electronics Co. to pre-install its artificial intelligence application Gemini on Galaxy smartphones and other Samsung devices, according to the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ).

During the DOJ’s federal antitrust trial against Google over alleged monopolistic practices in the internet search market on Monday (local time), the DOJ argued that Google could further entrench its dominance via AI.

Citing signs that Google is already reinforcing its market power with Gemini, the DOJ said the company is paying Samsung an “enormous sum” of money each month for the AI app’s pre-installation on Samsung devices.

Peter Fitzgerald, Google’s vice president of platforms and device partnerships, admitted the payments during his testimony that day in federal court in Washington D.C. According to Fitzgerald, Google has been covering the cost of installing Gemini on Samsung devices since January under an agreement set to last at least two years, with a possible extension through 2028.

He added that fixed monthly payments are made per device equipped with Gemini, funded by ad revenue generated within the app. The exact amount paid to Samsung was not disclosed.

In a separate case brought by video game developer Epic Games Inc. in November 2023, it was revealed that Google paid Samsung $8 billion over four years to pre-install its search engine and Play Store on its mobile devices.

Bloomberg noted that Google continues this installation payment practice even though it “has twice been found to violate the law.” A U.S. court found that Google’s payments to Samsung to set its search engine as the default violated antitrust regulations in another antitrust ruling in 2024.

Google rejected the DOJ’s claim that it is using AI to expand its search dominance, arguing the allegation falls outside the scope of the current trial.

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