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The European Fee on Tuesday launched a probe into Google over its use of internet publishers’ content material and YouTube materials for its AI companies.
The choice comes after transatlantic tensions escalated over the weekend after Brussels imposed a €120 million superb on Elon Musk’s social community X for breaching its landmark Digital Providers Act (DSA), prompting a political response from the world’s richest man calling for the EU to be abolished.
“AI is bringing exceptional innovation and plenty of advantages for individuals and companies throughout Europe, however this progress can not come on the expense of the ideas on the coronary heart of our societies,” EU competitors Commissioner Teresa Ribera stated in an announcement.
“This is the reason we’re investigating whether or not Google might have imposed unfair phrases and situations on publishers and content material creators, whereas putting rival AI fashions builders at a drawback,” Ribera added.
The EU investigation will study whether or not Google used internet publishers’ content material to supply generative-AI companies on its search outcomes pages with out applicable compensation and with out giving them the choice to refuse.
Many publishers rely on Google Seek for consumer site visitors.
It is going to additionally assess whether or not movies uploaded on YouTube have been used to coach Google’s generative AI fashions with out correct compensation to creators and with out giving them any alternative.
The Fee’s probe is predicated on EU guidelines designed to ban abuses of dominant market place. Nonetheless, the opening of a probe following a superb on X may set off Washington’s ire, which has positioned itself on the aspect of Large American Tech.
Since Trump’s return to energy in 2025, the EU and the US have been at loggerheads over the bloc’s enforcement of digital guidelines.
The Trump administration accuses the EU of focusing on solely US corporations, whereas the EU says its laws is non-discriminatory and displays its sovereign proper to implement its personal digital-market guidelines.
A Google’s spokesperson stated on Tuesday that the grievance “dangers stifling innovation in a market that’s extra aggressive than ever.”
“Europeans deserve to learn from the newest applied sciences and we are going to proceed to work carefully with the information and inventive industries as they transition to the AI period,” the spokesperson added.
Google’s remark has been added to the story.