Google has been accused of using code, prompts and test cases from an open-source mobile AI project without initially providing proper credit. The allegation was made publicly by Nicolas Dehandschoewercker, co-founder and CEO of Minitap, whose company developed the mobile-use project.
Mobile-use is designed to allow artificial intelligence systems to control real Android devices using natural-language instructions. According to Minitap, parts of the project were later found in Google’s Artemis repository, which focuses on mobile AI automation.
Minitap claims that Artemis contains specific implementations originally developed for connecting AI systems to Android devices, Hopper agent instructions and WhatsApp-related automation tasks. Dehandschoewercker said some of the code was a word-for-word match with Minitap’s implementation.
The company also alleged that the Artemis package previously included the names of Minitap contributors Pierre-Louis Favreau, Jean-Pierre Lo and Nicolas Dehandschoewercker. According to Minitap, those author references were subsequently removed through a force push in August.
Following the public criticism, Google added an attribution notice to the Artemis repository stating that the project includes source code developed by Minitap Inc. The change acknowledges Minitap’s contribution, although the dispute has raised broader questions about how companies use and credit open-source software.
The issue is particularly relevant because the disputed code was released under the Apache 2.0 license. While the license permits developers and companies to use and modify the software, it also includes requirements concerning copyright notices and other attribution information. Open-source availability therefore does not mean that licensing conditions can be ignored.
The dispute also extends to benchmarking. Minitap has reportedly been seeking updates to its results on the AndroidWorld leaderboard, saying its existing benchmark results are outdated. Google’s Artemis was updated in August and currently holds the second position on the leaderboard. Google is also involved in maintaining the benchmark.
Minitap says its technology has since evolved substantially, with the company now using closed-source software to power its system. Dehandschoewercker described the current Minitap platform as a “completely different beast” and claimed that Google’s Artemis is approximately seven months behind its development.
The allegations highlight the importance of proper attribution and license compliance as major technology companies increasingly build AI systems using open-source projects.
