Google’s AI Overviews face fresh publisher backlash
News snapshot
- EU complaint alleges Google misuses publisher content
- UK groups demand opt-out without search de-listing
- Google insists AI boosts traffic
Google is said to be under growing legal scrutiny in both the European Union and the UK over its new(ish) AI Overviews product, which generates AI summaries atop search results.
Advocates for the AI Overviews say the Google-Gemini powered at the top of search results can give users a better, more direct answer to their search queries (so is better for users).
For website owners, and publishers in particular, it means there's less necessity for users to click through to thier page, and, as a result they're unable to monetise the work that went into the website providing the real-world insight in the first place.
Specifically, the Independent Publishers Alliance has filed an antitrust complaint with the European Commission, accusing Google of abusing its dominant market position by repurposing web content without adequate publisher consent.
In the UK, advocacy groups including the Movement For An Open Web and Foxglove submitted a similar complaint to the Competition and Markets Authority.
They argue that publishers must be allowed to exclude their content from AI Overviews without also forfeiting visibility in general search results.
The complaint highlights financial harms to publishers from loss of readership and ad revenue, as AI Overviews reportedly reduce direct traffic to original sources.
Since launching globally in May 2025, the feature has been rolled out in over 120 countries and includes advertisements, further amplifying concern from news outlets.
Google has defended the feature. The tech giant says it still sends 'billions of clicks to websites every day', and said web traffic changes merely reflect evolving user behaviours.
