Independent publishers across Europe are pushing back. As per Reuters, on June 30, they filed a complaint with the European Commission, accusing Google of cutting off vital web traffic to news sites through its AI-generated summaries. The group argues the practice isn’t just unfair, it’s eroding competition and making it harder for journalism to survive online.
What’s driving the dispute is Google’s "AI Overviews", those AI responses that now show up before anything else in search. They're short (and sometimes longer) summaries written by artificial intelligence, designed to answer user queries directly. But publishers say these responses often strip away the need to visit actual websites. And that, they argue, is where the damage begins.
The Independent Publishers Alliance, which coordinated the complaint, says the system gives Google an unfair advantage by drawing from publisher content while leaving them little control. Publishers can’t opt out of having their work used in AI training or included in summaries, at least not without vanishing from Google Search altogether. That catch-22, they argue, forces them to choose between visibility and exploitation.
Studies tracking search behavior back up some of the claims. One analysis found that when AI Overviews appear, clicks to top-ranked websites drop by more than a third. Another showed that in May 2025, nearly 70 percent of news-related searches ended without any user clicking through to a publisher’s site. A year ago, that figure was 56 percent.
Some publishers, especially those in education or local media, report losses as high as 40 percent. The problem isn’t limited to Europe either. Media groups in Brazil have raised similar concerns and asked their regulators to investigate.
Google rolled out AI Overviews across more than 100 countries. By mid-2025, it began placing ads within them. Publishers argue this turns their content into free fuel for Google’s ad revenue, while original reporting is buried further down the page.
User testing paints a picture of how people actually interact with the summaries. Most don’t scroll past them. Some click to expand the answer, but rarely move beyond it. When users do exit the page, they often land on Reddit or YouTube, not traditional news sites.
Regulators in the UK have taken notice. The Competition and Markets Authority confirmed it received a related complaint. The agency is weighing whether Google should be labeled a "strategic market operator", a classification that would give regulators more power to step in.
Across the Atlantic, lawsuits are piling up. In the U.S., one edtech firm filed suit, blaming AI Overviews for lost subscriptions and lower traffic. Judges there have already ruled in separate cases that Google held monopolies in both search and advertising. One ruling suggested breaking up parts of the business could be on the table.
Google has defended the AI Overviews feature, saying it helps people discover more information and drives billions of clicks to websites every day. A company spokesperson also questioned the accuracy of the traffic studies, calling the data incomplete and the conclusions misleading. The company points out that search traffic naturally fluctuates with seasons, trends, and regular algorithm changes.
Still, timing matters. The European Commission is already reviewing Google’s broader compliance with the Digital Markets Act. Part of that investigation is looking at whether AI Overviews violate rules tied to Google's powerful position in the search market. If the Commission finds merit in the complaint, it could impose temporary restrictions while the case is reviewed.
The publishers involved say this isn’t just about traffic stats, it’s about survival. As more search results get resolved by AI and fewer people click through to the sources, the financial model behind independent journalism becomes harder to sustain.
Google, meanwhile, is moving full speed ahead. CEO Sundar Pichai recently announced the company will spend $75 billion this year on AI infrastructure, up from $20 billion just a few years ago. That includes more AI tools across search, advertising, and other parts of the platform.
With so much riding on search visibility, publishers are being pushed to rethink their strategy. Traditional SEO is losing ground. Some outlets are trying to optimize content for both AI and humans, but it’s a moving target. The rules keep shifting.
The complaint in Europe echoes a larger shift. The internet that once rewarded links and referrals is starting to favor answers without destinations. For many publishers, that change isn't just inconvenient, it’s existential.
Notes: This post was edited/created using GenAI tools. Image: DIW-Aigen.
Read next: Which Tech Companies Make the Most Money per Employee?
What’s driving the dispute is Google’s "AI Overviews", those AI responses that now show up before anything else in search. They're short (and sometimes longer) summaries written by artificial intelligence, designed to answer user queries directly. But publishers say these responses often strip away the need to visit actual websites. And that, they argue, is where the damage begins.
The Independent Publishers Alliance, which coordinated the complaint, says the system gives Google an unfair advantage by drawing from publisher content while leaving them little control. Publishers can’t opt out of having their work used in AI training or included in summaries, at least not without vanishing from Google Search altogether. That catch-22, they argue, forces them to choose between visibility and exploitation.
Studies tracking search behavior back up some of the claims. One analysis found that when AI Overviews appear, clicks to top-ranked websites drop by more than a third. Another showed that in May 2025, nearly 70 percent of news-related searches ended without any user clicking through to a publisher’s site. A year ago, that figure was 56 percent.
Some publishers, especially those in education or local media, report losses as high as 40 percent. The problem isn’t limited to Europe either. Media groups in Brazil have raised similar concerns and asked their regulators to investigate.
Google rolled out AI Overviews across more than 100 countries. By mid-2025, it began placing ads within them. Publishers argue this turns their content into free fuel for Google’s ad revenue, while original reporting is buried further down the page.
User testing paints a picture of how people actually interact with the summaries. Most don’t scroll past them. Some click to expand the answer, but rarely move beyond it. When users do exit the page, they often land on Reddit or YouTube, not traditional news sites.
Regulators in the UK have taken notice. The Competition and Markets Authority confirmed it received a related complaint. The agency is weighing whether Google should be labeled a "strategic market operator", a classification that would give regulators more power to step in.
Across the Atlantic, lawsuits are piling up. In the U.S., one edtech firm filed suit, blaming AI Overviews for lost subscriptions and lower traffic. Judges there have already ruled in separate cases that Google held monopolies in both search and advertising. One ruling suggested breaking up parts of the business could be on the table.
Google has defended the AI Overviews feature, saying it helps people discover more information and drives billions of clicks to websites every day. A company spokesperson also questioned the accuracy of the traffic studies, calling the data incomplete and the conclusions misleading. The company points out that search traffic naturally fluctuates with seasons, trends, and regular algorithm changes.
Still, timing matters. The European Commission is already reviewing Google’s broader compliance with the Digital Markets Act. Part of that investigation is looking at whether AI Overviews violate rules tied to Google's powerful position in the search market. If the Commission finds merit in the complaint, it could impose temporary restrictions while the case is reviewed.
The publishers involved say this isn’t just about traffic stats, it’s about survival. As more search results get resolved by AI and fewer people click through to the sources, the financial model behind independent journalism becomes harder to sustain.
Google, meanwhile, is moving full speed ahead. CEO Sundar Pichai recently announced the company will spend $75 billion this year on AI infrastructure, up from $20 billion just a few years ago. That includes more AI tools across search, advertising, and other parts of the platform.
With so much riding on search visibility, publishers are being pushed to rethink their strategy. Traditional SEO is losing ground. Some outlets are trying to optimize content for both AI and humans, but it’s a moving target. The rules keep shifting.
The complaint in Europe echoes a larger shift. The internet that once rewarded links and referrals is starting to favor answers without destinations. For many publishers, that change isn't just inconvenient, it’s existential.
Notes: This post was edited/created using GenAI tools. Image: DIW-Aigen.
Read next: Which Tech Companies Make the Most Money per Employee?
