EU Publishers Challenge Google Over AI Overviews in Antitrust Complaint
A coalition of publishers, led by the Independent Publishers Alliance, has lodged an antitrust complaint with the European Commission against Google’s AI Overviews feature. The group alleges that Google is unfairly leveraging web content to generate AI-powered summaries, which they claim has led to significant declines in traffic, readership, and revenue for publishers.
“Publishers do not have the option to opt out unless they vanish from Google search results entirely,” the complaint states. This highlights the growing tension between tech giants and content creators over the use of AI in search results.
Google introduced AI Overviews over a year ago, placing AI-generated summaries at the top of search results. Despite early hiccups—including some notably inaccurate answers—the feature has expanded, reportedly exacerbating traffic losses for news publishers.
In response, Google defended its AI initiatives, telling Reuters that “new AI experiences in Search enable people to ask even more questions, creating opportunities for content discovery.” The company also dismissed claims about traffic declines, arguing they are often based on incomplete data and that fluctuations occur for various reasons.
