Google probed by EU regulators over AI scraping practices

Google faced new antitrust scrutiny this week as European Union regulators opened an investigation into whether the company improperly used online publisher content and YouTube uploads to train its AI models and power AI Overviews and AI Mode. The European Commission said it is examining whether Google took an unfair advantage by using this material without compensation, restricting opt-outs, and giving itself access that rival AI developers cannot match. Regulators are also looking into whether Google imposed unfair terms or limited competition in the emerging AI search market, with potential penalties reaching up to 10% of its global annual revenue.