The European Commission is evaluating if Google’s ‘AI Overview’ violates media fairness. At the same time, the US Department of Justice (DOJ) aims to break-up the tech giant over antitrust fears.
The EU body is investigating if Google’s AI search feature, that summarises information for search users, violates the Digital Markets Act, the EU Copyright Directive, and the European Media Freedom Act, according to Euroactiv.
Google’s ‘AI Overview’, which was introduced in Europe in late March, gives a comprehensive summary of information at the top of the website’s search result page, in response to questions asked by users.
The introduction of this tool is widely seen as the tech giant’s response to the launch of AI chatbots like ChatGPT, which are dramatically shifting the way people search for information.
The EU probe reacts to growing concerns from publishers that Google is taking information from news outlets for its summaries, without enabling adequate web traffic to original sources.
AI Overview is increasingly keeping users within the Google interface without directing them to relevant webpages as it has historically done.
The review will look into whether AI Overview prioritises Google’s own services unfairly, how Google’s algorithms rank and recommend content, and how Google can ensure fair visibility of editorial content.
Many publishers, including the BBC, have reported losing traffic as a result of AI tools, as users stay in Gen AI interfaces more and navigate to websites less.
A Crackdown on Search Monopoly
At the same time, Google is undergoing an antitrust trial in the US to prevent it from using its AI products to dominate online search.
The Department of Justice is seeking an order that would force the tech giant to sell Chrome and block the company’s use of AI tools to preference itself.
DOJ attorneys argue that Google’s domination of search puts competitors, like ChatGPT, at a disadvantage.
In a blog post on Sunday, Google’s VP of Regulatory Affairs, Lee-Anne Mulholland, said the DOJ’s proposal “would hold back American innovation at a critical juncture” and put the US at a disadvantage in the “global race with China.”
Despite this, a DOJ attorney said “nothing will advance AI faster than an open and competitive marketplace free from gatekeepers and monopolies.”
