EU to probe Google’s use of content for AI
The European Commission is investigating whether Google has breached EU competition rules by using content from other publishers and creators for its AI services.
The EU body says that the probe will assess whether Google is distorting competition by imposing unfair terms and conditions on publishers and content creators, or by granting itself privileged access to such content, placing developers of rival AI models at a disadvantage.
The commission is concerned that Google may have used other publishers’ content to provide generative AI-powered services such as AI Overviews and AI Mode on its search results pages without appropriate compensation to publishers and without offering them the possibility to refuse such use of their content.
‘Appropriate compensation’
AI Overviews shows AI-generated summaries responsive to a user's search query above organic results, while AI Mode is a search tab similar to a chatbot answering users' queries in a conversational style.
The EU body is also concerned that video and other content uploaded on YouTube is being used to train Google's generative AI models without appropriate compensation to creators and without offering them the possibility to refuse such use of their content.
It says that content creators uploading videos on YouTube have an obligation to grant Google permission to use their data for different purposes – including for training generative AI models.
Principles
The commission stresses that the opening of a formal investigation does not prejudge its outcome.
“A free and democratic society depends on diverse media, open access to information, and a vibrant creative landscape,” said competition commissioner Teresa Ribera.
“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,” she added.