EU probes Google for "illegally" scraping the web to catch up to its AI rivals

Google used its search and video platforms to starve competition, while helping itself to a copyrighted buffet

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European regulators have opened a new antitrust investigation into Google, centering on whether the company illegally scraped online content to shore up its artificial intelligence products as it struggled to keep pace with faster-moving rivals. Fortune reports that the probe targets Google's use of publisher content and user-uploaded material to train and power generative AI services tied directly to its core search business.

The European Commission said it is examining whether Google breached competition rules by using web publisher content and YouTube videos without proper consent, compensation, or meaningful opt-out options. Regulators are concerned that this approach may have given Google an unfair advantage in developing AI tools that increasingly sit at the top of search results.

At the center of the investigation are Google's AI Overviews and AI Mode. Overviews automatically generate summaries that appear above traditional search links. The feature received considerable backlash at launch and continues to annoy many users. Web publishers are particularly concerned that Overviews are reducing viewership. The newer AI Mode offers chatbot-style answers to queries, and as an opt-in feature, hasn't drawn as much criticism.

According to the Commission, both services may rely on scraped content that publishers were required to provide for indexing, but not for generative reuse. Officials are also reviewing whether Google used YouTube videos under similar conditions to train its generative AI models while restricting access for competing AI developers. That combination could amount to Google granting itself privileged access to content while imposing unfair terms on others operating in the same market.

Unlike other recent cases, the Commission is conducting the inquiry under the EU's longstanding competition rules rather than the newer Digital Markets Act.

"This complaint risks stifling innovation in a market that is more competitive than ever," Google said in a statement. "Europeans deserve to benefit from the latest technologies and we will continue to work closely with the news and creative industries as they transition to the AI era."

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European officials emphasized that the case targets competition harms rather than the technology itself. Teresa Ribera, the Commission's vice president overseeing competition policy, framed the inquiry as an attempt to balance innovation with foundational legal principles.

"AI is bringing remarkable innovation and many benefits for people and businesses across Europe, but this progress cannot come at the expense of the principles at the heart of our societies," Ribera said.

The Commission said Google will have an opportunity to respond to the concerns raised and that it has informed US authorities of the investigation. There is no deadline for concluding the case, which could ultimately result in penalties of up to 10 percent of Google's annual global revenue if the probe confirms violations.

The investigation adds to mounting scrutiny of how major technology companies sourced data during the rapid rise of large language models. As generative AI tools become more tightly integrated into consumer products, regulators appear increasingly focused on whether early data advantages crossed legal lines – and whether those advantages continue to shape competition today.