(Teleborsa) – The European Commission has initiated a formal antitrust investigation to check if Google has violated EU competition rules by using content from online publishers and YouTube creators for the purposes of artificial intelligencewithout adequate compensation and without offering the possibility of refusing employment. The investigation aims to establish whether such conduct could constitute an abuse of position dominantin violation of Article 102 of the TFEU and Article 54 of the EEA Agreement.
At the center of the investigation are two distinct fronts. The first concerns Google’s use of website content web editors to power generative services such as AI Overviews — an AI-generated summary shown above organic results — e AI Fashiona search mode that responds in a chatbot style. Brussels fears that these services could be based on editorial content used without compensation and without the possibility for publishers to deny consent, under penalty of losing traffic from Google Searchon which many publishers depend.
The second area of the investigation concerns Google’s possible use of videos and others contents uploaded to YouTube to train your generative AI models. Creators who upload content to the platform must allow Google to use their data for various purposes, including training artificial intelligence models, without receiving compensation. Additionally, YouTube policy prohibits competitors from using such content to train alternative models, potentially creating a competitive imbalance in the industry.
If such practices were confirmed, they could constitute a violation of the prohibition of abuse of dominant position, given that Google – a US company leader in digital services, from online advertising to the cloud to AI – may have obtained privileged access to essential data compared to competitors in the development of generative models. The Commission will conduct the investigation “with priority”, while specifying that the opening of a procedure does not imply any early conclusion. There isn’t one expiration link to close an antitrust investigation: the duration will depend on the complexity of the case, the level of cooperation of the parties and the exercise of the rights of defence.
“A free and democratic society depends on a diverse media, open access to information and a vibrant creative landscape. These values are central to our European identity. AI is bringing extraordinary innovation and many benefits to people and businesses across Europe, but this progress cannot come at the expense of the principles that are at the heart of our societies. That is why we are investigating whether Google may have imposed unfair conditions on publishers and content creators, while putting developers of competing AI models at a disadvantage, in violation of the rules EU on competition”, he commented Teresa Riberaexecutive vice president for the Clean, Just and Competitive Transition.
(Photo: © Uladzik Kryhin/123RF)
(Teleborsa) 09-12-2025 10:09
