Google is facing heat from regulators again. The European Commission has officially opened an antitrust investigation to determine if the tech giant broke competition rules while building its artificial intelligence tools. This time, the focus is on whether Google unfairly used content from web publishers and YouTube creators to train its models without paying them.
The investigation targets two specific areas. First, officials are looking at Google’s “AI Overviews” and “AI Mode.” The Commission suspects Google used articles and data from independent websites to power these features without offering compensation. The real issue is the lack of choice. Regulators believe publishers faced a “take it or leave it” situation: either let Google use the content for AI or lose visibility on Google Search. Since most websites rely on Search for traffic, they effectively had no way to refuse.
The second part of the probe centers on YouTube. The Commission is digging into whether Google used user-uploaded videos to train its generative AI. Similar to the web publisher issue, investigators worry that YouTubers had no way to opt out and received no payment for their contribution to Google’s technology. The investigation also notes that Google blocks rival AI developers from accessing YouTube data, potentially creating an unfair monopoly over that information.
Teresa Ribera, a leading official at the European Commission, emphasized that innovation cannot come at the cost of fairness. She stated that the probe aims to determine whether Google imposed unfair terms on creators while putting competitors at a disadvantage.
Google quickly responded to the announcement. A spokesperson warned that the investigation risks “stifling innovation” in a highly competitive sector. The company insists it wants to work alongside the news and creative industries, not against them, as the technology evolves. This investigation joins a growing list of legal challenges the company faces in the EU, the UK, and the US.
