On December 9, 2025, the European Commission unveiled a fresh round of antitrust investigation targeting Google. The crux of the inquiry lies in whether Google has enhanced its AI product capabilities through the illicit scraping of online content within the realm of generative artificial intelligence.

This investigation primarily focuses on Google's utilization of content sourced from news - publishing entities and user - uploaded materials to train its generative AI models and deliver associated services. The EU harbors concerns that Google might be undermining fair competition in the AI market. It could be doing so by imposing unjust terms on publishers and content creators or by granting itself exclusive access to such content. This, in turn, could place other AI model developers at a significant competitive disadvantage.

Should Google be found guilty of breaching EU competition law, it could be slapped with a fine amounting to up to 10% of its global annual revenue. Given that the annual revenue of Google's parent company, Alphabet, stood at $350 billion in 2024, the potential fine could soar to as much as $35 billion.