Google will confront an existential threat as the U.S. government tries to break up the company as punishment for turning its search engine into a ruthless monopoly.

Alphabet's Google needs strong measures imposed on it to prevent it from using its artificial intelligence products to extend its dominance in online search, a U.S. Department of Justice attorney said as a trial in the historic antitrust case began on Monday.

The judge who found that the tech company maintained an illegal monopoly is urged to force it to sell its Chrome web browser.