EU publishers file complaints against Google over AI summaries in search

Publishers across the European Union and the UK have filed antitrust complaints against Google, targeting the company’s AI Overviews feature in search results.

As reported by Reuters, the complaints allege that Google is unlawfully using publishers’ content to generate AI-generated summaries, which appear above standard search listings.

The European Commission received a formal complaint from an alliance of independent publishers, claiming that the unauthorized use of their material is leading to losses in traffic, audience reach, and revenue. The document also argues that opting out of AI training or the use of content in summaries is not a viable option for most publishers.

In the UK, three additional organizations have submitted similar requests to the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), urging interim measures against Google. The CMA has confirmed receipt of the complaints, while the European Commission has declined to comment.

In response, Google stated that its search engine drives “billions of visits” to websites daily and attributed any decline in traffic to a range of possible factors — including seasonal trends, shifting user interests, and algorithm updates.