EU antitrust regulators are formally investigating Google’s proposal for publishers to opt out of generative AI features. The European Commission sent questionnaires to publishers to evaluate the opt-out mechanism.
Google claims opting out will not impact a website's ranking in traditional search results. This inquiry belongs to a wider probe into whether Google’s AI practices are anti-competitive.
Publishers argue that AI Overviews unfairly use their content and reduce direct traffic. This loss of traffic threatens publisher advertising revenue.
Feedback from publishers will determine if regulators accept the proposal or issue substantial fines against the tech giant.