According to the European Publishers Council, by integrating AI-generated summaries and chatbot-style answers into its search platform, Google has transformed its search feature from a referral service into an 'answer engine' that keeps users on Google’s site instead of directing them to the publisher's website.
European publishers have submitted an official antitrust complaint to the European Commission against Google for "exploiting" their dominant market position in search services by taking “publishers’ content without permission” and utilizing it to produce AI Overview results that redirect traffic away from websites.
The European Publishers Council (EPC) stated that Google and its parent company Alphabet are “misusing their dominant position in standard search services”, violating Article 102 TFEU, by the “implementation of AI Overviews and AI Mode in Google Search”.
The EPC complaint claims that Google is utilizing publishers’ journalistic content “without permission, lacking efficient opt-out options, and without proper compensation, while concurrently diverting traffic, audiences, and income that are crucial to the viability of professional journalism.”
It stated that by incorporating AI-generated summaries and chatbot-like replies into its search platform, Google has transformed its search capability from a referral service into an "answer engine," which keeps users on Google's own site instead of redirecting them to the publisher's website.
Chairman of the EPC, Christian Van Thillo, stated that this complaint aims to prevent a "dominant gatekeeper" from utilizing its market power to "acquire publishers' content without permission, without appropriate compensation, and without providing publishers any feasible means to safeguard their journalism."
“AI Overviews and AI Mode fundamentally threaten the economic agreement that has supported the open web." Should these practices persist, the harm will be foundational and unalterable.
The EPC observed that although various AI companies have formed licensing contracts with certain publishers, Google has “mainly steered clear of this” and instead “depends on its dominance in search to maintain continual access to content without compensation.”
The council stated that publishers face an exceptionally tough decision. To maintain visibility on Google search, they must acknowledge that their content is indexed, duplicated, and reused for the company’s AI functionalities.