Google’s AI Overviews Face EU Antitrust Complaint from Independent Publishers

Alphabet’s Google has been hit by an EU antitrust complaint over its AI
Overviews from a group of independent publishers, which has also asked for an
interim measure to prevent allegedly irreparable harm to them

Google is once again under regulatory scrutiny in the European Union—this time for its AI-powered search feature known as AI Overviews. Independent publishers across the EU have filed a formal antitrust complaint, arguing that Google’s AI Overviews are harming their visibility, traffic, and revenue.

What Are AI Overviews?

Launched as part of Google’s push into generative AI, AI Overviews are the short summaries you now see at the top of certain search results. These AI-generated answers pull together information from various websites and present it directly to users—often eliminating the need to click through to the original sources.

While Google claims this enhances user experience by delivering faster answers, many independent publishers say it does the opposite for them. Their content is being summarized without proper credit or traffic, cutting into their ad revenues and visibility.

Why Independent Publishers Are Concerned

The main arguments in the complaint include:

• Traffic Diversion: When users get answers directly from AI Overviews, they’re less likely to visit the original website. This results in significant drops in traffic for smaller publishers.
• Lack of Compensation: AI Overviews often use information from these publishers’ sites without paying or even attributing them adequately.
• Market Dominance: The complaint claims that Google is abusing its dominant position by prioritizing its AI-generated content over organic results from actual publishers.

A Wider Pattern of Scrutiny

This complaint is part of a broader wave of regulatory and legal actions against Google’s business practices, especially in the EU. The Digital Markets Act (DMA), which took effect recently, aims to create a level playing field between tech giants and smaller players. If the EU finds Google in violation, it could face hefty fines or be forced to modify its AI features.

The publishers hope that the EU will push Google to provide more transparent algorithms, fairer data usage policies, and possibly financial compensation when their content is used in AI summaries.

Google’s Response

So far, Google has defended its AI Overviews, stating that they are designed to complement—not replace—traditional search results. The company says it links to sources when appropriate and aims to drive valuable traffic to websites. However, critics say these reassurances are not backed by real traffic data or accountability.

What This Means for the Future of Search

This case could have significant implications for the future of AI in search engines. If regulators side with publishers, we might see stricter controls on how AI summarizes third-party content, or even revenue-sharing models like those proposed in the news publishing sector.

As generative AI becomes a bigger part of how people access information online, the balance between innovation, fair competition, and content creator rights is going to be critical.

Final Thought

The antitrust complaint by independent publishers highlights a growing concern: Who benefits from AI, and who gets left behind? With major tech companies racing to integrate AI into everything, regulators and lawmakers will have to keep pace to ensure that innovation doesn’t come at the cost of a free and fair digital ecosystem.