Google Faces Complaint By European Publishers Over AI-Powered Search Features, Summaries

Last Updated:February 11, 2026, 09:59 IST

Google is facing a new EU antitrust complaint from the European Publishers Council over its AI-generated search summaries.

Alphabet-owned Google is facing a new antitrust challenge in the European Union after the European Publishers Council (EPC) lodged a formal complaint over the company’s artificial-intelligence-powered search features, according to a report with Reuters.

The filing targets Google’s AI-generated summaries, branded as “AI Overviews," and comes at a time when regulators are already examining whether the company is abusing its market position.

The EPC’s move could strengthen an existing investigation launched by the European Commission, which has been scrutinising how Google treats publishers whose content appears in its search products.

Publishers and rival firms have increasingly argued that large technology companies’ dominance in emerging AI tools risks crowding out competitors, while media groups say their journalism is being reused without proper payment.

In a statement accompanying the complaint, EPC chairman Christian Van Thillo accused Google of exploiting its powerful position in online search.

“It is about stopping a dominant gatekeeper from using its market power to take publishers’ content without consent, without fair compensation, and without giving publishers any realistic way to protect their journalism," Van Thillo said.

He went on to warn that the company’s newest AI tools threaten the long-standing financial foundations of digital publishing.

“AI Overviews and AI Mode fundamentally undermine the economic compact that has sustained the open web," he added.

Google rejected the allegations, pushing back against the publishers’ claims and defending the rollout of its generative AI features in search.

“These inaccurate claims are an attempt to hold back helpful new AI features that Europeans want," a spokesperson for the company said.

“We design our AI features to surface great content across the web, and we provide easy-to-use controls for them to manage their content."

According to the report, Google has said it is now reviewing its technical controls to give websites more ability to opt out of generative AI tools in Search.

Publishers remain unconvinced, arguing that such options do not amount to real protection.

They say refusing to allow their material to be used for AI features could come at the cost of reduced visibility in search results, effectively forcing them to accept the new system.

In its filing, the EPC said Google relies on its control of online search to gain access to publishers’ content without paying for it, language that mirrors broader European antitrust worries about the company’s role as a digital gatekeeper.

Those concerns are already under formal review.

When the Commission opened its probe in December, it said Google may be abusing its dominant position as a search engine by imposing unfair trading conditions on publishers.

The EPC’s complaint adds fresh pressure on regulators as they weigh whether the company’s deployment of AI-driven summaries crosses competition rules and disadvantages news organisations that depend on traffic and licensing revenues from online platforms.

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