Google is currently facing scrutiny from the European Union regarding its utilization of publishers’ online content in AI-generated search summaries, such as AI Overviews and AI Mode, amid worries about anticompetitive behavior. The European Commission has initiated a formal antitrust investigation into Google’s employment of online publishers’ content for AI-related activities, including material from YouTube. This inquiry will investigate whether Google is skewing competition by enforcing unreasonable conditions on publishers and content creators or by granting itself advantageous access to content, thereby disadvantaging competing AI model developers.
The EU will scrutinize Google’s AI-driven search summary tools, AI Overviews and AI Mode, to evaluate if the corporation has used web publisher content without adequate remuneration or the opportunity for publishers to decline such utilization. Since the rollout of AI Overviews in May 2024, analysts have observed a notable downturn in website traffic for news and media organizations. In July 2025, Google launched AI Mode, a conversational AI-generated search results aggregator. A study from the Pew Research Center indicated that users are less inclined to click on links when an AI summary is displayed, frequently concluding their browsing sessions.
This downturn has significantly affected news websites. As reported by Cecily Mauran for Mashable, organic search traffic from major news outlets like the Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, and The Washington Post has dropped, according to SimilarWeb data. Smaller, independent sites have been forced to close or adapt their distribution strategies due to falling traffic, as highlighted in a Bloomberg report. SEO experts have also demonstrated that AI Overviews lead to fewer clicks to sites compared to conventional search results.
In the UK, DMG Media, the owner of MailOnline and Metro, reported an 89 percent decline in click-through rates attributed to AI Overviews, as per the BBC. The EU has notified Google of the inquiry, indicating there is “no legal deadline” for its conclusion, with the timeframe influenced by the complexity of the case, company collaboration, and the exercise of defense rights.
This marks the latest case involving Big Tech from the EU, following penalties imposed on Apple, Meta, and Elon Musk’s X for violating the Digital Services Act. It is also part of a larger dilemma concerning tech companies utilizing material for AI training and aggregation, with OpenAI facing lawsuits for copyright violations, including those from publishers. In April, Ziff Davis, the parent company of Mashable, initiated legal action against OpenAI for alleged copyright infringement related to the training and operation of its AI systems.