Google (GOOGL.US) is also subject to EU antitrust investigation: AI tools are accused of abusing market position to suppress rivals

The Zhitong Finance App learned that the European Union has launched an antitrust investigation against Google (GOOGL.US) and is concerned that it is using its own artificial intelligence (AI) tools to crowd out competitors and abuse its dominant position in the market.

The European Commission issued a statement on Tuesday saying that it will check whether Google distorts the competitive order of the market by imposing unfair clauses on content creators and giving its own AI model an exclusive advantage over competitors.

In addition, EU regulators will also thoroughly check Google's AI overview and AI-model content generation, the extent to which content is taken from online publishers, and whether relevant publishers have received reasonable remuneration.

Speaking in Brussels on Tuesday, EU antitrust commissioner Teresa Ribera said: “This investigation once again sends a strong signal, demonstrating our determination to protect online media and other content creators, and our firm stance on maintaining a level playing field in the emerging AI market.”

This investigation is only a few months since the European Union issued a fine of nearly 3 billion euros (about 3.5 billion US dollars) against Google. In September of this year, the European Union determined that Google favors its own business and suppresses competitors in the field of advertising technology services, so a penalty decision was made. The fine aroused strong dissatisfaction from US President Trump, who bluntly stated that the penalty was “discriminatory.”

The Trump administration previously paid close attention to the EU's series of hefty penalties against large technology companies, including fines totaling more than 9.5 billion euros on Google and a separate ruling requiring Apple (AAPL.US) to pay an additional 13 billion euros in taxes to Ireland.

Trump has threatened to introduce a new tariff policy in response to this matter and restrict the export of cutting-edge technology. US officials have also made it clear that unless the EU relaxes its technology regulations, the US side will not abolish 50% tariffs on steel and aluminum products.

In fact, Google has already been the target of anti-monopoly penalties by the European Union many times. Previously, it had been fined a total of several billion euros, including 4.13 billion euros for Android-related monopoly practices and 2.42 billion euros for suppressing shopping search competitors. However, the €1.49 billion AdSense advertising service-related fine imposed in 2024 was rescinded last year.

To make matters worse, Google still needs to continue to be fully regulated by the European Union's Digital Market Act. The Act officially came into effect in 2023 and aims to regulate the business practices of the world's leading technology platforms.

According to traditional EU anti-monopoly regulations, competition regulators have the power to order companies to suspend suspected illegal business practices, but relevant companies can file an appeal with the EU Luxembourg court.

According to regulations, if an enterprise violates EU antitrust regulations, it can eventually face fines of up to 10% of its global annual revenue, but this maximum penalty standard is rarely triggered, especially when the suspected violation lasts for a short period of time. Currently, Google needs to submit a rectification plan as soon as possible to dispel the concerns of regulators.

As of press time, a Google spokesperson has yet to respond to a request for comment on the matter.