Google faces EU scrutiny over AI Overviews, YouTube videos

EU officials said they are examining concerns that Google may include information from news outlets and other websites in its AI results without offering adequate payment or allowing those publishers to opt out

Alphabet’s Google is once again under scrutiny in Europe, this time over how the tech giant deploys publishers’ material and YouTube videos to train its artificial intelligence tools. According to Reuters, the European Commission has opened a new antitrust investigation focused on Google’s AI-generated summaries, known as AI Overviews, and whether the company fairly compensates content creators.

EU officials said they are examining concerns that Google may include information from news outlets and other websites in its AI results without offering adequate payment or allowing those publishers to opt out. The same issue applies to user-uploaded content on YouTube, per Reuters.

EU antitrust chief Teresa Ribera warned that “Google may be abusing its dominant position as a search engine to impose unfair trading conditions on publishers by using their online content to provide its own AI-powered services.”

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 launched action against Google. According to Reuters, the move reflects heightened pressure to ensure big technology companies do not lock out rivals as AI becomes more central to the online economy.

Google has pushed back, arguing that regulation risks harming competition.

This complaint risks stifling innovation in a market that is more competitive than ever, a spokesperson said, maintaining that the company will continue partnering with news and creative industries “as they transition to the AI era.

Criticism has also come from industry groups such as the Independent Publishers Alliance and the Movement for an Open Web.

Their adviser, lawyer Tim Cowen, argued that “Google has broken the bargain that underpins the internet,” saying that its AI system, Gemini, is prioritized over traditional search results. Now it puts its AiO, Gemini, first and adds insult to injury by exploiting website content to train Gemini. Gemini is Search’s evil twin, he said.

AI Overviews — which display AI-generated summaries above normal website links — are already rolled out in more than 100 countries, and Google began integrating ads into them last year. Meanwhile, the company’s spam policies are also being reviewed, and Google could face fines up to 10% of its global annual revenue if the Commission finds violations.