The European Commission has launched an antitrust investigation into Alphabet-owned Google, examining how the company uses publishers’ online content and users’ YouTube videos to train its artificial intelligence (AI) services, and whether publishers are being fairly compensated for their work.
This marks the second investigation into Google within a month, highlighting growing European concerns over Big Tech’s influence and dominance in emerging technologies.
The probe could also heighten tensions with the United States, as EU regulations in recent years have become a contentious issue for American companies.
EU Antitrust Chief Teresa Ribera stated:
“Google may be abusing its dominant position as a search engine to impose unfair conditions on publishers by using their content for its AI platforms. A healthy and robust information ecosystem depends on publishers having the resources to produce quality content, and we will not allow any company to dictate that.”
Google rejected the complaint filed by publishers in July, arguing that it could stifle innovation in an already competitive market.
The company added that Europeans deserve access to the latest technologies and that it will continue collaborating with news and creative industries during the transition into the AI era.
Independent publishers and some UK-based nonprofits have criticized Google, claiming the company has undermined the fundamental principles of the internet.
They argue that Google now prioritizes AI-generated summaries, known as Gemini, over traditional web content and uses websites’ material for AI training without proper agreements.
AI Overviews, created using Google’s AI, appear above standard webpage links and are displayed in more than 100 countries. Since last year, Google has also started placing advertisements on these AI Overviews.
If found in violation of EU antitrust rules, Google could face fines of up to 10% of its global annual revenue.
Meanwhile, the European Commission has also opened an investigation into Meta over plans to block AI competitors on its WhatsApp messaging platform, reflecting the increasing regulatory scrutiny in the tech sector.
