Overview
- The European Publishers Council lodged a formal complaint to the European Commission targeting Google’s AI Overviews and AI Mode as abuses of dominance under Article 102 TFEU.
- The filing alleges Google uses publishers’ journalism to power AI responses without authorization or fair payment and seeks enforceable controls plus a licensing and remuneration framework.
- The complaint argues that embedding AI answers in search reduces referrals to publishers, citing studies that AI Overviews appear on over 40% of informational queries with traffic drops often exceeding 30%.
- Google rejected the allegations as inaccurate and said it is reviewing technical controls to let websites opt out of generative AI tools in Search.
- Publishers contend the opt-out options are not meaningful because refusing AI use risks reduced visibility in search results, and the new complaint could reinforce the Commission’s ongoing probe opened in December.