Google faces renewed EU scrutiny over AI competition
Long-running antitrust scrutiny of Google enters a new AI phase.
The European Commission has opened a formal antitrust investigation into whether AI features embedded in online search are being used to unfairly squeeze competitors in newly emerging digital markets shaped by generative AI.
The probe targets Alphabet-owned Google, focusing on allegations that the company imposes restrictive conditions on publishers and content creators while giving its own AI-driven services preferential placement over rival technologies and alternative search offerings.
Regulators are examining products such as AI Overviews and AI Mode, assessing how publisher content is reused within AI-generated summaries and whether media organisations are compensated in a clear, fair, and transparent manner.
EU competition chief Teresa Ribera said the European Commission’s action reflects a broader effort to protect online media and preserve competitive balance as artificial intelligence increasingly shapes how information is produced, discovered, and monetised.
The case adds to years of scrutiny by the European Commission over Google’s search and advertising businesses, even as the company proposes changes to its ad tech operations and continues to challenge earlier antitrust rulings.
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