MUMBAI: The traffic jam is moving from roads to search results. France’s leading press association has asked the country’s competition watchdog to intervene against Google’s AI-generated article summaries, arguing that the feature is keeping readers on Google and away from the newspaper and magazine websites that produce the original content.
The Alliance of General Information Press (APIG), which represents French newspapers and magazines, has opposed Google’s rollout of AI-generated summaries in search results without prior consultation or compensation for publishers. The group has urged France’s competition authority to take action similar to measures recently imposed on Meta over the use of media content by AI systems.
According to Reuters, French publishers want regulators to require Google to negotiate compensation arrangements for the use of news content in AI-generated products and summaries. Their argument is straightforward: if AI is using journalism to answer questions, publishers should share in the value created from that content.
The publishers also point to a growing traffic problem. APIG cited estimates from French communications regulator Arcom suggesting that publisher websites have seen traffic declines of between 33 per cent and 38 per cent because of AI-generated summaries.
The concern is that Google’s summaries can deliver the key information from an article directly on the search page, potentially removing the need for users to click through to the original story. For publishers, fewer visits can mean fewer opportunities to generate advertising, subscription and other digital revenue.
APIG said the deployment of new AI-driven uses of press content without authorisation or dedicated remuneration violates commitments Google had previously made to French authorities.
The latest complaint adds another chapter to the long-running tussle between French publishers and Google over the value of news content. France’s competition authority has previously ordered Google to negotiate payments with publishers for using news excerpts and articles on its platforms.
Google was subsequently fined €500 million in a copyright-related dispute involving neighbouring rights and compensation for publishers, underlining just how costly the fight over digital news distribution has become.
APIG president Marc Feuillee said AI systems derive value from media content and publishers should receive a share of that value.
Google did not immediately respond to Reuters’ request for comment.
The dispute highlights a wider fault line emerging between search platforms and publishers as generative AI increasingly changes how people consume information. For news organisations, the challenge is no longer simply getting a story to the top of search results; it is ensuring that the AI answer built from that story does not become the final destination.
