EU Executive Vice-President for Clean, Just and Competitive Transition, Teresa Ribera, in Brussels on March 19, 2025. NICOLAS TUCAT / AFP
The European Union announced on Tuesday, December 9, it had opened a probe to assess whether Google breached antitrust rules by using content put online by media and other publishers to train and provide AI services without appropriate compensation. The European Commission said the investigation would look into concerns that the US tech giant might be distorting competition by imposing unfair terms and conditions on publishers and content creators, or by granting itself privileged access to their output.
"A free and democratic society depends on diverse media, open access to information, and a vibrant creative landscape," the EU's competition chief, Teresa Ribera, said. "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."
Google said the complaints at the heart of the probe risked "stifling innovation in a market that is more competitive than ever." A spokesperson for the firm added that "Europeans deserve to benefit from the latest technologies and we will continue to work closely with the news and creative industries as they transition to the AI era."
