The European Commission announced on Tuesday that it is investigating whether Google has violated EU competition rules by failing to adequately compensate publishers or by imposing unfair conditions that affect the use of their content in AI-generated search summaries.
Executive Vice-President for competition affairs Teresa Ribera said the probe will examine whether Google has imposed unfair terms on publishers and content creators, and whether rival AI model developers have been placed at a disadvantage.
EU investigators aim to determine whether publishers and creators are being fairly remunerated for the data—including YouTube videos—used to train Google’s AI services. They will also assess whether creators can opt out of having their content used in AI models without losing access to other Google services, and whether Google prevents competing AI developers from using YouTube content for training.
Publishers have criticized Google’s AI summaries, which appear at the top of search results, for reducing traffic to their websites and causing significant losses in advertising revenue.
Google, however, warned that the investigation could “stifle innovation,” arguing that users should continue to benefit from rapidly evolving technologies. The company said it remains committed to supporting news and creative industries as they adapt to the AI era.
Alongside its AI summaries, Google has launched an “AI Mode” that answers user queries directly in a conversational style rather than providing a list of links.
The Commission stated that while AI offers major benefits, access to online content must remain fair. It accused Google of not remunerating YouTube creators for content used in training AI systems, while also preventing other AI developers from using YouTube videos to train their own models.
Publishers’ groups, including the Independent Publishers Alliance and the Movement for an Open Web, argued that Google has “broken the bargain that underpins the internet,” saying the traditional system of fair indexing and visibility has been undermined.
This marks the second EU investigation into Google within a month. If found to have breached EU antitrust rules, Google could face fines of up to 10% of its global annual revenue. The Commission stressed that the opening of the investigation does not prejudge its outcome.
