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Google’s AI-powered search feature, AI Overviews, has come under formal antitrust scrutiny in the European Union following a complaint by a coalition of independent publishers. The group alleges that the tool is harming the digital news ecosystem by diverting traffic away from original content and misusing publishers’ work without proper consent.
The complaint, submitted by the Independent Publishers Alliance with the backing of advocacy organisation Movement for an Open Web and legal non-profit Foxglove, accuses Google of “abusing dominance” in the search market. The AI Overviews feature, which summarises content using generative AI at the top of search results, is at the centre of the complaint.
“Independent journalism faces an existential threat,” warned Rosa Curling, Director at Foxglove. “Google’s AI Overviews extract and repackage news content without permission, depriving publishers of traffic and revenue that sustain their operations.”
The coalition is urging the European Commission to impose interim measures that would suspend or limit the use of AI Overviews while a formal investigation is conducted.
Rise of ‘Zero-Click’ Searches Fuels Publisher Concerns
A key issue raised in the complaint is the sharp rise in “zero-click” searches — queries where users find answers directly on the search page and do not click through to external websites. Since the rollout of AI Overviews in May 2024, the percentage of news-related searches ending without a website visit has jumped from 56% to nearly 69%, according to digital intelligence firm Similarweb.
This shift has significantly impacted traffic to news sites. Search-driven visits, which peaked at over 2.3 billion per month in mid-2024, dropped to under 1.7 billion by May 2025. For publishers already grappling with declining ad revenue, the loss of organic traffic is pushing some to the brink.
Consent or Coercion?
Publishers say the choice offered by Google is a false one. While it is technically possible to opt out of having content used in AI Overviews, doing so also removes that content from Google’s core search results — effectively making the outlet invisible online.
“It’s a coercive framework,” said one publisher involved in the complaint. “Either you allow your work to be fed into Google’s AI engine without compensation, or you disappear from search entirely.”
The Alliance argues that this dynamic violates EU competition laws by forcing publishers to contribute content to a system that competes directly with their own platforms — without fair negotiation or revenue-sharing mechanisms.
Google Responds
In a statement, Google defended AI Overviews as a tool that enhances search capabilities and provides more opportunities for users to discover content.
“Our AI features help users explore topics more deeply and ask new questions, which leads to more engagement, not less,” a Google spokesperson said, disputing the data presented in the complaint. The company added that traffic to publishers is influenced by numerous factors, including seasonal shifts and user preferences.
Google also claimed that it drives billions of clicks to news publishers every day and reiterated that AI Overviews are designed to complement—not replace—content discovery.
Broader Regulatory Landscape
The European complaint is part of a growing global backlash against how AI is reshaping access to online information. Similar actions have been launched in the UK, where the Competition and Markets Authority is reviewing Google’s AI practices. In the U.S., textbook company Chegg filed a lawsuit against Google earlier this year, claiming that AI Overviews have severely diminished traffic to its educational platforms.
The case is also likely to be seen in the context of the EU’s Digital Markets Act (DMA), which aims to curb platform dominance and ensure fair competition. Google is already under investigation for potentially favouring its own services over those of competitors.
Should the European Commission impose interim restrictions on AI Overviews, it could represent one of the most significant regulatory actions globally against generative AI in search.
ChatGPT Gains as Google Faces Scrutiny
While many publishers have suffered declining traffic from Google, some are reporting modest gains from OpenAI’s ChatGPT. Between January 2024 and May 2025, ChatGPT referrals to news sites jumped from under 1 million to over 25 million. Reuters, Business Insider, and the New York Post were among the top beneficiaries.
Still, the uptick from AI-driven referrals pales in comparison to what has been lost overall. Several media outlets have announced layoffs, while others are experimenting with alternative revenue streams, including subscription models and micropayment systems like Google’s Offerwall.
The Stakes: Journalism’s Role in the AI Era
The crux of the complaint lies in a fundamental question: Can journalism survive if its output is used freely by tech giants without fair compensation?
Critics argue that tools like AI Overviews risk turning original reporting into raw material for AI-driven platforms — stripped of attribution, context, and economic value. The outcome of the EU’s investigation could shape global standards on how AI interacts with content creators and whether publishers will receive protections or compensation for their contributions.
The European Commission has yet to comment publicly on the complaint, but any decision will likely reverberate beyond Europe — potentially setting new precedents for regulating AI in the digital economy.
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