The European Commission has launched an antitrust investigation into Google’s AI practices to determine whether the company has violated EU competition rules by using material from web publishers and content creators.
This probe, triggered under the EU’s competition framework, examines whether Google has leveraged its dominant position to grant itself privileged access to online content, including YouTube videos. The concern is that this could disadvantage rival developers of AI models and undermine fair competition across the industry.
According to the Commission, the spotlight is on two of Google’s AI features known as “AI Overviews” and “AI Mode”. These tools deliver AI-generated summaries or conversational answers directly in search results. The Commission is probing whether the generation of these summaries relies heavily on content published by independent websites or creators, often without consent.
In addition, the investigation will look at how Google uses content uploaded on YouTube. The EU is concerned that Google may be incorporating this content into its AI training datasets while blocking access to the same material for competing AI developers. Such a practice, if confirmed, could distort the market in favour of Google.
This move marks an escalation in the EU’s scrutiny of big tech companies especially in their AI practices. Regulators have warned that while AI brings innovation and convenience, it must not come at the cost of fair competition, media viability or creative rights.
In recent years the EU has already taken action against major technology platforms under laws such as the Digital Markets Act (DMA), aimed at limiting unfair dominance of large firms in digital markets. Google is among the firms designated as “gatekeepers.” The Commission underlined that the opening of an investigation does not imply guilt. It simply means regulators will now dive deeper into the evidence and examine Google’s practices in detail.
For online publishers and creators this probe could be significant. Many rely on website traffic or video views to earn revenue. If Google’s AI tools repurpose their content without compensation or permission and still deprive them of traffic, their income and viability could be threatened.
The investigation into Google aligns with a broader wave of regulatory scrutiny sweeping across major technology firms. Only this week, the Commission also began a separate probe into Meta Platforms’ new policy limiting AI providers’ access on WhatsApp.
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