The European Union (EU) has initiated an investigation into Google’s use of artificial intelligence (AI) to generate summaries that appear above search results. The media field is growing concerned about how such a technology will decimate media innovation and diversity. This request goes to meet those increasing concerns in the evolving digital space.
Technology reporter Liv McMahon captured the crux of the matter. She cautioned against AI-generated summaries lowering the prioritization of content creators and news publishers in search result pages. The European Union has hammered down on Google’s practices. They are inquiring if these practices are contrary to competition law, or erode the foundations of a free and democratic society.
Ed Newton-Rex, a representative from the AI fairness campaign group Fairly Trained, said there are “insane pressures” on content creators. He noted that not putting your work out on places like YouTube is now “professional suicide.” This recent trend exemplifies the ways in which today’s digital gatekeepers control what content can be seen.
The investigation is the most serious step yet taken by the EU to rein in the increasing power of the large technology platforms. Recently, the EU fined platform X, owned by Elon Musk, €120 million (£105 million) due to issues surrounding its blue verification badges. Platform X has been rightly criticized for subsequently suspending the Commission’s account after the latter placed ads on the site. This action, similar to the California law, raises profound questions about the fairness and transparency of social media platforms.
A spokesperson for Google defended the company’s practices, stating that the AI summaries “risks stifling innovation in a market that is more competitive than ever.” They expressed the company’s commitment to ensuring that “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.”
The EU’s investigation reflects a growing unease among regulators regarding the potential monopolistic behavior of digital platforms and the impact of AI on the media landscape. As the inquiry progresses, stakeholders in both the technology and media sectors are watching closely to see how these developments might reshape online content distribution.