On 18 March 2024, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) opened a public consultation on the digital platform services inquiry report, revisiting general search services until 17 April 2024. The purpose of this consultation is to gather information regarding the current nature of general search services, how market dynamics have changed since the previous report, and how these changes may impact competition and consumer issues or give rise to new concerns. The ACCC noted that the Treasurer's Directive mandated the ACCC to conduct an inquiry into markets pertaining to the provision of digital platform services. These services, as outlined in the Directive, encompass internet search engine services, including both general and specialised search functions. While the Directive does not specifically include generative AI among the services to be investigated, the ACCC report will examine generative AI in relation to general search services.
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