Google Faces EU Antitrust Complaint Over AI Overviews in Search Results

Reviewed byNidhi Govil

16 Sources

Independent publishers file an antitrust complaint with the European Commission against Google's AI Overviews feature, alleging harm to traffic, readership, and revenue.

Google's AI Overviews Spark Antitrust Controversy

Google, the tech giant known for its dominant search engine, is facing a new challenge in the European Union. A group of independent publishers has filed an antitrust complaint with the European Commission over Google's AI Overviews feature, alleging significant harm to their businesses 1.

Source: New York Post

Source: New York Post

The Complaint and Its Implications

The Independent Publishers Alliance, a nonprofit organization representing unnamed publishers, has accused Google of "misusing web content" for its AI Overviews in Google Search 2. The complaint alleges that this practice has caused and continues to cause significant harm to publishers in the form of traffic, readership, and revenue loss 4.

Rosa Curling, a director at Foxglove, a UK-based legal nonprofit that co-signed the complaint, described Google's AI Overviews as an "existential threat" to independent news 3. The complaint urges the European Commission and other regulators worldwide to enable publishers to opt out of AI Summaries without losing visibility in search results.

Google's Response and Defense

Google has defended its practices, stating that it sends billions of clicks to websites each day and that the new AI experiences in Search create opportunities for content and businesses to be discovered 4. The company argues that claims about web traffic loss are often based on incomplete data and that sites can gain and lose traffic for various reasons, including seasonal demand, user interests, and regular algorithmic updates 5.

The Broader Context of AI and Publishing

Source: Digit

Source: Digit

This antitrust complaint is part of a larger debate about the impact of AI on the publishing industry. Publisher traffic across the internet is reportedly in freefall, with some of the biggest sites seeing drops of 27-59%, according to estimates from Similarweb 2. As a result, many publishers are looking towards a "Google Zero" future, building direct connections with readers and relying less on search engine traffic.

The publishing industry has been pushing back against AI companies, filing lawsuits against OpenAI, Microsoft, and Perplexity over their use of copyrighted material to train AI models 2. AI companies, in turn, are arguing that their use of publisher content amounts to "fair use."

Potential Consequences and Future Outlook

The EU has shown a willingness to take firm action against Google in the past, having already imposed more than 8 billion euros in fines on the company 3. This new complaint could potentially lead to further regulatory scrutiny and possible changes to how AI-generated content is used in search results.

Source: Silicon Republic

Source: Silicon Republic

As the debate continues, the publishing industry faces significant challenges. Since 2005, 2,900 local newspapers have closed in the US, and 2025 has seen layoffs at major news organizations like CNN, Vox, HuffPost, and NBC 2. The outcome of this antitrust complaint could have far-reaching implications for the future of online publishing and the role of AI in content creation and distribution.

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