The European Union (EU) has launched an investigation into whether Google is breaking competition law in how it uses material from publishers and content creators to train its artificial intelligence (AI) models.
In the EU’s latest challenge to big tech companies, regulators on Tuesday said the probe would examine whether Google was imposing unfair terms on online publishers and content creators who upload videos on its YouTube platform.
As part of the investigation, the European Commission will also look at whether Google’s business practices are putting rival developers of AI models at a disadvantage. Regulators are set to carry out the investigation “as a matter of priority” as officials acknowledge the speed of the rapidly changing market.
Google said: “This complaint risks stifling innovation in a market that is more competitive than ever. 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.”
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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.”
At a conference in Brussels, Ribera added that the case was “once again a strong signal of our commitment to protecting the online press and other content creators, and to ensuring fair competition in emerging AI markets”.
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Last week, Brussels launched an antitrust investigation into Meta over its new policy on AI providers’ access to WhatsApp.
The new probe is the latest sign that the commission, the EU’s top antitrust enforcer, will continue enforcing its digital rule book despite anger from US tech companies and the Trump administration.
It follows a series of announcements under the EU’s digital rule book in recent days, including a €120mn fine on Elon Musk’s X for breaking the bloc’s digital transparency rules.
The penalty on X drew heavy criticism from US government officials, including US secretary of state Marco Rubio who said the fine was “an attack on all American tech platforms and the American people by foreign governments”.
Last month, the EU also launched an investigation into Google’s ranking of news outlets in search results. That probe was under the Digital Markets Act, landmark legislation designed to tackle the dominance of the biggest online platforms. – Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2025
