Italian news publishers demand probe into Google AI overviews, calling it a ‘traffic killer’

The issue has also drawn attention across Europe, with similar complaints coordinated by the European Newspaper Publishers’ Association, urging the European Commission to probe Google under the EU Digital Services Act. AI Overviews provides users with condensed information from search results without requiring clicks to the original sources, raising fears that it reduces visibility for publishers and undermines the economic sustainability of news outlets, the report added.

FIEG additionally criticised Google’s AI Mode, which presents information from multiple sources in a chatbot format. “Google is becoming a traffic killer,” the federation said, The Guardian reported, highlighting risks of reduced transparency and potential disinformation affecting democratic debate.

Research cited by FIEG supports their concerns. A July study by UK analytics firm Authoritas found that AI Overviews caused up to an 80% drop in clickthroughs and gave prominence to YouTube links, benefiting Google’s own services. A Pew Research Center study in the US also showed users clicked on links under AI summaries only once in 100 instances. Google has dismissed these findings as inaccurate and methodologically flawed.

The feature was introduced in Italy in March. In September, Italy became the first EU country to enact comprehensive AI regulations, aligned with the EU’s AI Act, which includes restrictions on child access and criminal penalties for harmful uses such as deepfakes. Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s government hailed the legislation as a key step in shaping AI use in Italy.