EU publishers file antitrust complaint against Google over AI summaries

New Delhi: Alphabet-owned Google has been the subject of an antitrust complaint from the European Publishers Council (EPC) over its AI-generated search summaries, known as AI Overviews, according to Reuters. 

The complaint could add weight to an ongoing European Union investigation into the company’s use of artificial intelligence in search results.

The EPC, which represents European news publishers, has raised concerns that large technology companies could use their position in emerging AI-driven search tools in ways that disadvantage publishers.

The council argued that the integration of AI summaries into search results risks reducing traffic to publishers’ websites while drawing on their content without adequate compensation or control.

EPC chairman Christian Van Thillo said the complaint centres on the use of market power by a dominant platform to access publishers’ content without consent or fair payment and without providing what publishers consider effective means to safeguard their journalism. He also said the growing use of AI-generated summaries could weaken the economic model that has historically supported open web publishing.

Google rejected the criticism. A company spokesperson told Reuters the allegations were inaccurate and described them as an attempt to restrict the rollout of new AI features. The spokesperson said Google’s tools are designed to highlight content from across the web and that publishers have controls to manage how their material is used.

Google is reviewing technical measures that would allow websites to opt out of certain generative AI search features. Publishers, however, have said such measures could reduce their visibility in search results, limiting their practical value.

The complaint reflects wider concerns among European regulators and media groups about the market power of large technology platforms. When the European Commission opened its investigation in December, it said Google might be using its position in online search to impose unfair trading conditions on publishers.