EU opens antitrust investigation into Google’s use of publisher and YouTube content for AI

The European Commission has launched a formal antitrust investigation into Google over allegations that it uses content from web publishers and YouTube creators to train and power its AI services, including AI Overviews and other Gemini-based features, without adequate compensation or a meaningful opt-out. Regulators will examine whether Google’s practices impose unfair terms on publishers and disadvantage rival AI developers who are barred from using YouTube data, raising wider concerns about media pluralism and cultural markets in the AI era.