Alphabet Inc.'s Google is under the microscope again in Europe, this time over how the tech giant deploys publisher materials and YouTube videos to train its artificial intelligence tools. According to Reuters, the European Commission has launched a new antitrust investigation focused on Google's AI-generated summaries, known as AI summaries, and whether the company fairly compensates content creators.
EU officials said they were investigating concerns that Google could include information from news organizations and other websites in its AI results without offering appropriate payment or allowing publishers to opt out. According to Reuters, the same issue applies to content uploaded by users to YouTube.
“Google may be abusing its dominant position as a search engine to impose unfair trading conditions on publishers by using online content to offer its AI-powered services,” EU antitrust chief Teresa Rivera warned. She also said, “A healthy information ecosystem depends on publishers having the resources to produce quality content. We will not allow gatekeepers to dictate those choices.”
The review marks the second time in a month that European regulators have initiated action against Google. The move reflects growing pressure on big tech companies to avoid crowding out rivals as AI becomes central to the online economy, Reuters said. It will also add friction to EU-US relations, where Europe's new digital rules are already a point of contention.
Related: Google drops EU antitrust complaint against Microsoft
Google pushed back, arguing that the regulations risked hurting competition. “This complaint risks stifling innovation in an ever more competitive market,” a spokesperson said, insisting the company would continue to partner with news and creative industries “as we move into the age of AI.”
Criticism has also come from industry groups such as the Independent Publishers Alliance and the Movement for an Open Web. Their advisor, lawyer Tim Cowen, argued that the company's AI system Gemini supersedes traditional search results and that “Google has broken the deal that underpins the internet.” “The company is now putting its AiO, Gemini, first and adding insult to injury by abusing website content to train Gemini. Gemini is search's evil twin,” he said.
AI Overview, which displays AI-generated summaries above regular website links, is already rolled out in more than 100 countries, and Google started integrating ads there last year. Meanwhile, the company's spam policies are also being reviewed, and if the European Commission finds violations, Google could be fined up to 10% of its annual global revenue.
The latest investigation comes just a week after the EU launched an investigation into Meta's plans for competing AI developers' access to WhatsApp, signaling broader regulatory moves to shape how powerful technology companies deploy artificial intelligence across major digital platforms.
Source: Reuters
