The European Commission (EC) announced Tuesday (Dec. 9) that it is looking into whether Google had hindered competition by imposing unfair conditions on content creators, and by giving its own AI model an edge over competitors.
The investigation will look at whether Google used web publishers’ content to provide generative AI-powered services to its search results page without properly compensating them or offering them the chance to refuse this use of their content.
In addition, the competition watchdog is examining whether it used content uploaded to YouTube to train AI models without compensating the creators of those videos.
“AI is bringing remarkable innovation and many benefits for people and businesses across Europe, but this progress cannot come at the expense of the principles at the heart of our societies,” said Teresa Ribera, the EU’s antitrust commissioner.
“This is why we are investigating whether Google may have imposed unfair terms and conditions on publishers and content creators, while placing rival AI models developers at a disadvantage, in breach of EU competition rules.”
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Reached for comment by PYMNTS, a spokesperson for Google shared a statement arguing that the EC complaint “risks stifling innovation in a market that is more competitive than ever. 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”
The company also noted that it offers controls to help publishers manage content, and that it will continue to work with regulators on the issue. Google added that it paid $100 billion to creators, artists, and media companies between 2021 and 2024.
The news comes days after the EC said it was investigating Meta-owned messaging platform WhatApp over its new artificial intelligence policy.
The commission said it was concerned this rule could prevent third-party AI providers from offering their services via WhatsApp. A spokesperson for WhatsApp called the claims behind the planned investigation “baseless” in a statement to PYMNTS.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the Atlantic, President Donald Trump on Monday (Dec. 8) said he would sign an executive order giving the federal government sole jurisdiction over AI regulation. This came after reports that the White House was weighing challenges to state-level rules governing artificial intelligence.
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