Finance
Google hit by European publishers' complaint to EU over AI Overviews
Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on February 10, 2026
2 min readLast updated: February 10, 2026
Quick Summary
The European Publishers Council has filed an antitrust complaint against Google's AI Overviews, citing unauthorized use of journalistic content and lack of fair remuneration.
EU Publishers Lodge Antitrust Complaint Against Google Over AI Summaries
EU Publishers Challenge Google's AI Practices
By Foo Yun Chee
Concerns Over Content Use
BRUSSELS, Feb 10 (Reuters) - Alphabet unit Google was hit with an EU antitrust complaint by the European Publishers Council on Tuesday over its AI-generated summaries known as AI Overviews, a move that could add weight to an ongoing EU investigation into the issue.
Google's Response to Allegations
Rivals have voiced concerns that Big Tech's dominance in new technologies could shut them out while publishers have been critical of tech giants using their content without paying them.
Investigation by the European Commission
"It is about stopping a dominant gatekeeper from using its market power to take publishers' content without consent, without fair compensation, and without giving publishers any realistic way to protect their journalism," EPC chairman Christian Van Thillo said in a statement.
"AI Overviews and AI Mode fundamentally undermine the economic compact that has sustained the open web," he said.
Google pushed back against the publishers.
"These inaccurate claims are an attempt to hold back helpful new AI features that Europeans want. We design our AI features to surface great content across the web and we provide easy-to-use controls for them to manage their content," a Google spokesperson said.
The company is now looking into its technical controls to let sites opt out of Search generative AI features. Publishers, however, said these did not offer any meaningful protection as opting out of AI use would reduce their search visibility.
The EPC said that Google relies on its control of online search to secure access to content without payment, echoing similar European Union antitrust concerns.
The Commission, in a statement kicking off its investigation in December, said Google may be abusing its market power as a search engine to impose unfair trading conditions on publishers.
(Reporting by Foo Yun Chee; Editing by Kirsten Donovan and Emelia Sithole-Matarise)
Key Takeaways
- •European Publishers Council files a complaint against Google.
- •Concerns over unauthorized use of journalistic content.
- •Lack of effective opt-out mechanisms for publishers.
- •Potential impact on ongoing European Commission investigation.
- •Google's AI Overviews under scrutiny in the EU.
Frequently Asked Questions about Google hit by European publishers' complaint to EU over AI Overviews
1What is artificial intelligence?
Artificial intelligence (AI) refers to the simulation of human intelligence in machines programmed to think and learn like humans. It encompasses various technologies, including machine learning and natural language processing.
2What is an antitrust complaint?
An antitrust complaint is a legal action taken against a company for practices that reduce competition in the marketplace, potentially leading to monopolistic behavior. Such complaints are often filed with regulatory bodies.
3What is the European Commission?
The European Commission is the executive branch of the European Union responsible for proposing legislation, implementing decisions, and managing the day-to-day operations of the EU, including competition policy.
4What are AI-generated summaries?
AI-generated summaries are concise versions of longer texts created by artificial intelligence algorithms. These summaries aim to capture the main points and ideas of the original content efficiently.
5What is financial innovation?
Financial innovation refers to the development of new financial products, services, or processes that improve efficiency, reduce costs, or enhance customer experience in the financial sector.
