The European Commission has initiated a formal antitrust investigation into Google’s AI search solutions, probing whether the tech giant has violated EU competition regulations. This inquiry focuses on allegations that Google has utilized content from various websites without proper compensation, specifically for generating AI-driven summaries displayed above search results.
A significant aspect of the investigation revolves around Google’s AI Overview and AI Mode, as the EC plans to assess how these tools employ content, including videos from YouTube, potentially disadvantaging other players in the AI market. Concerns have been raised about Google’s practices that might impose unfair conditions on publishers and content creators, restricting their ability to refuse content usage without jeopardizing their visibility on Google Search.
In a statement, the Commission emphasized its commitment to scrutinizing whether Google’s AI features rely on web publishers’ content without fair remuneration and whether creators are effectively coerced into compliance by the platform’s dominance.
The investigation emerges amidst a broader context where AI firms grapple with multiple legal challenges from publishers claiming copyright infringement, including high-profile lawsuits against other AI tools like Perplexity. Unlike these cases, the EU’s inquiry aims to establish equitable conditions for competing AI companies, as Google currently has the advantage of accessing a vast amount of online content that may bolster its AI model training.
Simultaneously, the EU is re-evaluating its AI regulatory framework in response to continuous criticism, with potential plans to simplify existing rules and postpone the rollout of regulations for high-risk AI applications.
As of now, Google has not provided a response to the allegations or the investigation.
