The European Union just declared war on Google’s AI empire. The European Commission accused Google of stealing web content and YouTube videos to power its AI tools without paying creators a cent. This probe targets Google’s AI Overviews feature, which generates instant summaries above search results in over 100 countries.
EU Competition Commissioner Teresa Ribera pulled no punches in her announcement. “Google may be abusing its dominant position as a search engine to impose unfair trading conditions on publishers by using their online content to provide its own AI-powered services,” she declared.
Google faces fines up to 10% of its global revenue if found guilty. With Alphabet reporting $307 billion in revenue for 2023, that penalty could reach $30 billion.
Publishers Claim Google Broke the Internet’s Basic Deal
The investigation stems from a complaint filed by independent publishers in July 2025. These media companies argue that Google violated the web’s fundamental bargain.
“Google has broken the bargain that underpins the internet,” said lawyer Tim Cowen, who represents the Independent Publishers Alliance and Movement for an Open Web. “The deal was that websites would be indexed, retrieved and shown when relevant to a query. Everyone had a chance.”
Now publishers say Google keeps users on its platform instead. The company’s AI Overviews appear above traditional links, potentially reducing traffic to original sources. Publishers claim Google trains its AI models on their content without permission or payment.
“Now it puts its AI Overviews first and adds insult to injury by exploiting website content to train its AI models,” Cowen added. “AI Overviews are search’s evil twin.”
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YouTube Creators Left Out of AI Gold Rush
The EU probe extends beyond news websites to YouTube, where Google allegedly uses uploaded videos to train its AI systems without compensating creators. The Commission expressed concern that Google doesn’t remunerate YouTube content creators for using their videos in AI development.
This investigation examines whether Google grants itself privileged access to YouTube content while blocking rival AI developers from the same material. The Commission noted that competing AI companies cannot access YouTube content for their own model training.
Google pushed back against the allegations. “This complaint risks stifling innovation in a market that is more competitive than ever,” a Google spokesperson told news outlets. “Europeans deserve to benefit from the latest technologies and we will continue to work closely with the news and creative industries as they transition to the AI era.”
Google’s European Legal Troubles Mount
This marks Google’s fifth major EU antitrust case since 2010. The company has already paid over $8 billion in European fines for various competition violations.
In September 2025, the EU fined Google nearly $3 billion for distorting competition in advertising technology. Previous penalties include $4.3 billion for Android restrictions in 2018, $2.7 billion for search bias in 2017, and $1.7 billion for advertising practices in 2019.
The timing puts additional pressure on Google as regulators worldwide scrutinize AI development. The company faces similar concerns in other jurisdictions about data scraping and content compensation.
AI Industry Faces Copyright Reckoning
Google’s troubles reflect tensions between AI companies and content creators. Publishers, artists, and writers challenge how AI systems access their work for training data.
The investigation comes as companies developing AI models face multiple copyright lawsuits from publishers and creators seeking compensation. Major news organizations have begun blocking AI crawlers from their websites or demanding licensing fees.
Some media companies have struck deals with AI developers. The New York Times, Associated Press, and Reuters have signed licensing agreements with various AI companies. However, many smaller publishers lack negotiating power for similar arrangements.
The EU’s focus on fair compensation could establish precedents for AI training data globally. Success in this case might force other AI companies to pay for content access, fundamentally changing industry economics.
Brussels Targets Big Tech’s AI Dominance
The Google investigation joins a broader EU crackdown on American tech giants’ AI ambitions. Last week, regulators opened a probe into Meta’s WhatsApp AI policies. The Commission also fined Elon Musk’s X platform $140 million for advertising transparency violations.
These actions reflect European concerns about Big Tech’s control over emerging AI technologies. Officials worry dominant platforms could use their existing advantages to crush competition in artificial intelligence markets.
The Commission will investigate whether Google’s practices place rival AI developers at a disadvantage by limiting their access to training data. This examination could reshape competitive dynamics in the rapidly growing AI sector.
The probe has no set timeline, but EU antitrust investigations typically last 12-24 months. Google can challenge any eventual fine in European courts, though the company has lost most previous appeals.
For publishers and content creators, this investigation represents a potential turning point in their battle for fair compensation in the AI era. The outcome could determine whether tech giants must pay for the content that powers their next-generation services.
