Google Faces EU Antitrust Complaint Over AI-Generated Summaries in Search Results

The Independent Publishers Alliance has filed an antitrust complaint with the European Commission against Google, alleging misuse of web content through its AI Overviews feature in Google Search. According to the complaint, this practice has caused significant harm to publishers, including traffic, readership, and revenue losses. Publishers claim they have no choice but to allow Google to use their content in AI summaries if they want to remain visible in search results. Since its introduction a little over a year ago, Google’s AI Overviews have expanded, leading to notable declines in traffic for news publishers. Initially, the feature generated some inaccurate summaries, but it has continued to grow and impact web traffic. In response, Google stated that these new AI experiences in Search enable users to ask more questions, thereby creating new opportunities for content discovery and business exposure. The company also pointed out that traffic fluctuations can result from various factors and are often based on incomplete data. Despite these assertions, the complaint highlights ongoing concerns about the dominance of large tech companies in the digital media landscape and the potential adverse effects on smaller publishers. If the European Commission finds merit in the complaint, it could lead to regulatory action or changes in how Google handles content in its search results.