In a surprising revelation during a recent court testimony, Google’s vice president of platforms and device partnerships admitted that the company paid Samsung a significant sum to preinstall its new AI assistant, Gemini, on Samsung smartphones. The disclosure has reignited debates about competition, consumer choice, and transparency in the tech industry.

The admission came as part of an ongoing antitrust investigation examining Google’s business practices. For years, Google has faced scrutiny over how it promotes its products across various platforms, especially through partnerships that critics argue could limit consumer options. The Gemini deal appears to be another example of how tech giants leverage financial agreements to ensure their software dominates device ecosystems.

Gemini, which Google launched as a competitor to AI assistants like Apple’s Siri and Amazon’s Alexa, represents Google’s next big bet on artificial intelligence. Preinstalling Gemini on millions of Samsung devices would give the assistant a major advantage by putting it directly into the hands of users, bypassing the need for downloads or user-driven adoption.

According to the testimony, Google approached Samsung with an offer to embed Gemini deeply into the Android operating system on Samsung phones. In exchange, Google provided substantial financial incentives. While the exact amount remains undisclosed, insiders describe it as a “multimillion-dollar” agreement. Critics argue that such deals, while legal, can distort the natural market by giving preinstalled apps an unfair head start over potential competitors.

Consumer rights groups have voiced concern over the news, emphasizing that deals like this reduce true competition and limit user choice. “When a tech company can pay its way onto your device, it raises serious questions about who controls your digital experience,” said Lisa Mendez, a spokesperson for the Digital Freedom Foundation. “Consumers deserve transparency about why certain apps appear on their phones—and they should have an easy way to remove or replace them.”

Samsung, for its part, defended the agreement, stating that partnerships like the one with Google help deliver a more “seamless and innovative experience” for their customers. However, critics note that many users feel overwhelmed by the number of preinstalled apps they rarely use, often called “bloatware,” and argue that more transparency and easier opt-out options are needed.

The Gemini-Samsung deal is part of a larger trend where tech giants forge strategic partnerships to maintain dominance in emerging tech markets, particularly in AI. As artificial intelligence becomes more central to smartphones, cars, and home devices, competition over which assistant gets top billing is expected to intensify.

As investigations continue, regulatory bodies will likely look closely at how such agreements impact consumer choice and market fairness. For now, the case has once again placed a spotlight on the hidden deals that shape the digital experiences of millions of users worldwide.