Google facing a new antitrust probe in Europe over content it uses for AI

The European Union is investigating Google for imaginable antitrust violations related to its AI models

LONDON -- Google faces caller antitrust scrutiny from European Union regulators, who opened an probe Tuesday into the company's usage of online contented for its artificial quality models and services.

The European Commission, which is the 27-nation bloc's apical antitrust enforcer, said it's examining whether Google has breached contention rules done its usage of contented from web publishers arsenic good arsenic worldly uploaded to YouTube for AI purposes.

Regulators are acrophobic that Google has fixed itself an unfair vantage by utilizing contented for 2 hunt services, AI Overviews and AI Mode, without paying publishers oregon letting them opt out. AI Overviews automatically generates summaries that look astatine the apical of its accepted hunt results, portion AI Mode provides chatbot-style answers to hunt queries.

They're besides examining whether Google uses videos uploaded to YouTube nether akin conditions to bid its generative AI models, portion shutting retired rival AI exemplary developers.

“This ailment risks stifling innovation successful a marketplace that is much competitory than ever," Google said successful statement. “Europeans merit to payment from the latest technologies and we volition proceed to enactment intimately with the quality and originative industries arsenic they modulation to the AI era.”

The Commission, which is the bloc's enforcement arm, is carrying retired the probe nether the EU's longstanding contention regulations, alternatively than its newer Digital Markets Act that was was drawn up to forestall Big Tech companies from monopolizing online markets.

"AI is bringing singular innovation and galore benefits for radical and businesses crossed Europe, but this advancement cannot travel astatine the disbursal of the principles astatine the bosom of our societies," Teresa Ribera, the commission’s vice president overseeing contention affairs, said successful a statement.

“This is wherefore we are investigating whether Google whitethorn person imposed unfair presumption and conditions connected publishers and contented creators, portion placing rival AI models developers astatine a disadvantage, successful breach of EU contention rules.”

Brussels has nary deadline to wrapper up the case, which could effect successful sanctions including a good worthy up to 10% of the company’s yearly planetary revenue.

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