Google is facing a new EU antitrust investigation into how it uses online content to train and deploy its artificial intelligence systems, the European Commission said Tuesday, escalating the bloc’s efforts to regulate US technology giants.
Regulators are examining whether Google relied on material from web publishers and YouTube creators without offering fair terms, compensation or the ability to opt out.
The inquiry marks one of the most significant steps Europe has taken in its push to assert control over the rapidly expanding AI ecosystem.
Officials said they are reviewing whether Google may have violated EU competition rules by giving itself preferential access to vast amounts of content that competitors need to build rival AI models.
Commissioner for competition Teresa Ribera said AI development must remain grounded in transparency and fairness.
“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,” she said.
The move comes as European regulators intensify scrutiny of big tech platforms. Last week the bloc fined Elon Musk’s X app one hundred twenty million euros for failures in its ad transparency system, and it recently opened a separate antitrust probe into Meta over access to data on WhatsApp.
Competition specialists said the new inquiry could redefine how AI companies handle publisher content across Europe. Marta Kellerman, a Brussels based technology law expert, said the stakes are significant.
“If the Commission finds Google used publisher material to build AI Overviews without meaningful consent or flexibility for refusal, that would widen the definition of dominance abuse under EU antitrust investigation standards,” she said.
Analysts noted that Google’s AI Overviews and AI Mode rely heavily on summarizing and reorganizing information from the open web. Rival developers have long argued they cannot compete if one company controls the digital gateways through which most European users access news, research and entertainment.
“This case goes to the heart of how AI ingestion works,” said David Hersch, a digital policy researcher in Berlin. “Smaller AI firms depend on datasets they can legally access.
If Google retained exclusive or privileged access to YouTube or publisher archives, the playing field becomes uneven before innovation even begins.” Europe has launched more large scale technology cases than any other region.
According to Commission data, Brussels has opened more than a dozen major competition actions against big tech firms since 2020, including cases targeting search dominance, digital advertising practices and marketplace fairness.
By contrast, the United States has only a handful of AI-related antitrust cases underway. “Europe is empowering regulators faster than Washington,” Hersch said. “It reflects a broader trend: strict oversight, early intervention and heavy emphasis on data rights.”
The Commission said it will also study whether publishers lose access to Google Search if they refuse to allow their content to be used for AI features, a scenario critics argue could qualify as coercive under EU competition rules.
The investigation has stirred reaction among publishers and content creators who feel increasingly sidelined in the AI economy. Sofia Marek, a Warsaw based independent news publisher, said the inquiry is overdue.
“Our stories appear in AI summaries within seconds, but we have no clarity on how our work is used or whether we can opt out without sacrificing traffic,” she said.
YouTube creators said they remain unsure how much of their content feeds Google’s internal AI development. “I rely on YouTube revenue to fund my reporting,” said Barcelona based documentary producer Luca Fernández.
“If my videos are being used to train AI that competes with my own channel, then I deserve transparency.” Others expressed concern that lengthy investigations could delay innovation.
“Europe needs strong guardrails, but it also needs to keep pace with global AI development,” said Dutch software engineer Willem Jacobs. Finding that balance is the challenge.
Officials expect the EU antitrust investigation to run for several months. Possible outcomes include negotiated commitments, legally binding remedies or formal charges.
Experts say the case could influence global norms on how AI models source and process digital content. Regulators signaled they will continue probing whether Google’s approach restricts competition among emerging AI developers.
The Commission said it will focus on the mechanics behind AI Overviews and how publisher content is integrated, compensated and controlled.
The inquiry comes as governments worldwide debate how much control tech companies should have over the data that fuels generative AI.
Several national regulators in the bloc are already reviewing whether their copyright and consumer protection laws apply to AI training practices.
The EU antitrust investigation into Google underscores the growing tension between rapid AI expansion and longstanding digital rights frameworks.
As Europe steps up enforcement of big tech regulation, the coming months will determine whether Google must change how it handles publisher material or face broader legal action.
For now, both regulators and industry players are preparing for a case that could shape the future relationship between online content providers and AI developers across the continent.
