Perhaps I spoke too soon? Apparently, the EU is investigating Google over its use of material from publishers and YouTube video creators to train its AI products.

According to Silicon, the European Union (EU) has opened a probe into Google’s use of material from publishers and YouTube video creators to train its AI products, including the AI-generated summaries it displays ahead of search results.

The investigation will look into whether the search giant imposes terms on online publishers and video content creators that violate competition law.

The European Commission said it would also look into whether Google’s business practices are unfair to developers of competing AI models.

The Commission said it would proceed with the probe “as a matter of priority” due to the fast-changing nature of the AI industry.

“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,” said competition commissioner Teresa Ribera.

At a conference in Brussels on Tuesday, she said the investigation was aimed at “ensuring fair competition in emerging AI markets”.

Google said the complaint risks stifling innovation.

Publishers have criticised Google’s introduction of AI summaries for using their content without sending traffic to their websites, with the Daily Mail claiming it has seen a 50 percent drop in traffic from Google since the introduction of AI summaries.

The summaries have also been criticised for presenting inaccurate information, as when a summary included information from an April Fool’s joke.

The EU last month began investigating Google’s ranking of publishers that publish third-party commercial content, under the Digital Markets Act that regulates the largest online platforms.

The Commission recently imposed a €120 million (£105m) fine on social media platform X for breaching digital transparency rules under the Digital Services Act, in a move that was criticised by US officials.

While Google is managing to escape virtually unscathed in copyright lawsuits so far, the fact that the EU is investigating Google over its use of material for training its AI products shows that they do have accountability for how they’re training their products after all.

So, what do you think? Are you surprised that the EU is investigating Google over its use of material from publishers and YouTube video creators to train its AI products? Please share any comments you might have or if you’d like to know more about a particular topic.

Disclaimer: The views represented herein are exclusively the views of the author, and do not necessarily represent the views held by my employer, my partners or my clients. eDiscovery Today is made available solely for educational purposes to provide general information about general eDiscovery principles and not to provide specific legal advice applicable to any particular circumstance. eDiscovery Today should not be used as a substitute for competent legal advice from a lawyer you have retained and who has agreed to represent you.