Five organizations representing French digital content publishers filed, on October 29, 2026, a complaint with the European Commission against Google’s practices related to AI Overviews (AIO) and AI Mode (AIM).
This collective move aims less at immediate redress than at feeding the Brussels inquiry that is already under way to determine whether Google violated EU competition rules by using publishers’ content and YouTube videos for its AI services, notably without proper compensation or an effective opt-out option.
The five French organizations intend to provide the Commission with factual elements gathered since the French rollout. Their input focuses on the effects on visibility, brands, traffic and competition conditions, in a context where Google remains a key gateway to audiences.
A landmark coalition of publishers
The complaint brings together the CPA, the FNPS, the GESTE, the SEPM and the SPIIL. These organizations cover a broad spectrum of digital publishing: specialized information press, magazine press, online independent press, publishers of content and online services, as well as players in digital marketing.
Their central argument is that Google activated these features in France on July 22, 2026 without sufficient prior consultation with the editorial ecosystem. Or, according to them, these answers generated directly in the search results can reduce the visibility of the original sites, the incoming traffic and, in the long term, the business models that rely on audience, advertising and subscriptions.
The GESTE had already alerted on launch day. With the CPA and the SPIIL, it asked Google to clarify the conditions of use of the contents, the concrete modalities of opt-out, the expected effects on the audience and the means enabling publishers to measure precisely the impact of the two features.
A response that substitutes for links
For publishers, the problem is not the existence of a synthesis as such, but its position in the search experience. When a user receives an AI-generated answer, they may be less inclined to click toward the sources that allowed producing that answer.
This dynamic raises a straightforward economic question: if value is captured on the search results page, who will still compensate for producing information, expertise or specialized content? The complainants argue that Google uses their content to feed features that could compete with their own sites, without a transparent and fair framework.
They add a measurement problem. According to the GESTE, existing tools do not allow to clearly isolate the performance of clicks and impressions related to AIO and AIM, which prevents editors from establishing a reliable diagnosis of traffic evolution.
What Google says
Google has not published, at this stage, a detailed response to the complaint. In its announcement of the French launch, the company presents AIO and AIM as additions to Search, designed to offer an overview or a detailed answer, with links allowing users to delve deeper on the web.
It also highlights a control offered to site owners via the Search Console, allowing them to decide whether a site appears in the generative AI features of Search and contributes to their responses.
But publishers argue that this response remains insufficient in light of their initial requests: transparency on data, a framework for using content, an effective opt-out and the ability to measure the economic consequences of deployment.
What could come next?
The Commission recalls that the opening of an investigation does not pre-judge its outcome. No infringement is established at this stage.
If it concludes that the issue falls under the DMA, several scenarios are possible: a regulatory dialogue, a specification procedure imposing concrete measures, a finding of non-compliance, or provisional measures if the Commission deems the situation urgent.
In the event of an established violation, Google faces a fine of up to 10% of its global annual turnover, rising to 20% in the case of recidivism. The Commission can also order penalties for non-compliance with its decisions.
