Alphabet’s Google is under scrutiny in the European Union over how it uses publishers’ online content and YouTube videos to train its artificial intelligence models. This marks the second EU investigation into Google in less than a month, highlighting growing concern over Big Tech’s influence in emerging technologies—and raising potential tensions with the United States, as EU tech regulations have become a sticking point in transatlantic relations.

The European Commission, the bloc’s competition enforcer, said it is investigating whether Google uses publishers’ content for its AI-generated summaries, known as AI Overviews, without adequately compensating them or allowing them to opt out. Similar concerns extend to YouTube videos uploaded by users.

“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,” EU antitrust chief Teresa Ribera said on Tuesday.
She added: “A healthy information ecosystem depends on publishers having the resources to produce quality content. We will not allow gatekeepers to dictate those choices.”

The investigation follows a complaint by independent publishers in July, which Google rejected. A spokesperson for the company described the claims as “misguided.”
“This complaint risks stifling innovation in a market that is more competitive than ever,” the spokesperson said. “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.”

Independent groups, including the Independent Publishers Alliance, Movement for an Open Web, and the British nonprofit Foxglove, have criticized Google. Lawyer Tim Cowen, who advises these organizations, argued that Google has violated the implicit “bargain” underpinning the internet: that websites are indexed, retrieved, and displayed fairly. “Now it puts its AiO, Gemini, first and adds insult to injury by exploiting website content to train Gemini. Gemini is Search's evil twin,” Cowen said.

AI Overviews, which provide AI-generated summaries above traditional search results, are displayed in more than 100 countries. Google began monetizing these summaries with advertisements in May 2025.

The investigation could carry serious financial consequences. If found guilty of breaching EU antitrust rules, Google could face fines of up to 10% of its global annual revenue. The company’s spam policies are also being examined following complaints from publishers.

Regulators are not limiting scrutiny to Google. Last week, the European Commission opened an investigation into Meta over potential attempts to block AI competitors from its WhatsApp messaging system, signaling broader regulatory vigilance across the tech sector.