EU publishers claim Google's AI Overviews reduce their web traffic and hurt their revenue

A group of independent EU publishers has filed a complaint to the European Commission over Google's AI Overviews feature. They claim Google uses their content to generate AI-written summaries without permission, reducing web traffic and harming revenue. According to the complaint, publishers cannot opt out of the AI feature unless they also give up visibility in Google Search. The group is supported by Foxglove Legal and the Movement for an Open Web, and is requesting interim measures to stop what they describe as ongoing, irreparable damage. Google's AI Overviews pull information from websites to create short answers directly in search results without giving back traffic or compensation to the original publishers.