What’s Under Investigation
The European Commission has formally opened an antitrust investigation into Google, examining whether the company improperly leverages content from web publishers and creative platforms — including web articles and YouTube videos — to power its AI features like AI Overviews and AI Mode in Search.
Regulators are focused on whether Google — as a dominant search engine — used this privileged content access to advantage its AI services over competitors, without compensating publishers or granting them a meaningful opt-out. That could breach competition rules under EU law.
Why Publishers and Regulators Are Alarmed
Independent publishers and content creators have long argued that AI Overviews and similar features siphon off web traffic — and thus ad revenue — by delivering “zero‑click” answers directly on Google, rather than referring users to original sites.
They also raise deeper concerns: many feel they are being forced to choose between allowing Google to ingest their content for AI use — or losing search visibility entirely. That dynamic, critics say, creates an “all-or-nothing” scenario that undermines media diversity and unfairly favors Google’s own services.
Stakes Are High — For AI, Publishing, and Competition
If the probe finds that Google abused its dominant position, it could result in penalties of up to 10% of the company’s global annual revenue — a potentially massive fine given the scale of Google’s business.
More broadly, the outcome could reshape how AI models are trained and how content creators are compensated. For retailers, media companies, and businesses that depend on publishing or advertising, a ruling could influence how digital content is distributed, monetized, and regulated.
