Allegations by German Media and Civil Society Organizations Toward Google Over AI Practices
In a significant move, a broad alliance of media groups, associations, and non-governmental organisations in Germany has formally filed a complaint with the Federal Network Agency against Google's AI summaries, also known as "AI Overviews." The complaint, led by Corint Media, alleges that these AI-generated answers violate the Digital Services Act (DSA) by reducing media reach and advertising revenue, and by lacking transparency in the AI models used.
The alliance, which includes the German Journalists' Association, the Federal Association of Digital Publishers and Newspaper Publishers, the Association of German Local Newspapers and Local Media, AlgorithmWatch, Heise Medien, and others, argues that Google's AI summaries have serious implications for media diversity, freedom of expression, and democratic discourse. They claim that the AI summaries, based on the very content that media houses produce and with which Google's AI technology is trained, deprive media of reach and advertising revenue, and endanger their refinancing.
The complaint asserts that Google is creating a competing product to journalistic-editorial content. Google's AI-generated answers to search queries can sometimes be sufficient to spare the user a further click to a possible source, potentially undermining the value of journalistic content. The alliance also points out that Google's proprietary technology, whose functioning is opaque, adds to the concerns about fair competition.
The Digital Services Act aims to unify liability and security requirements for digital platforms and products, prevent the spread of illegal content, and better protect users. However, the alliance believes that Google's AI summaries deprive media of reach and advertising revenue, and endanger their refinancing, which contradicts the spirit of the DSA.
This complaint is not an isolated incident. A US media company also raised a similar criticism earlier in the week. The publishing house behind world-famous media magazines such as Rolling Stone, Variety, and The Hollywood Reporter warned that Google's actions had canceled a long-standing agreement.
The complaint was announced by Corint Media on behalf of the alliance. The participating institutions believe that Google's actions violate central provisions of the Digital Services Act (DSA). It has been shown that AI technology can distribute false or invented content, which is contrary to the goals of the DSA. The alliance urges regulatory action to ensure fair competition and uphold the principles of media diversity, freedom of expression, and democratic discourse.
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