Italian news publishers are taking a stand against Google’s AI Overviews feature. The Federation of Italian Newspaper Publishers has called for an official investigation, arguing that the AI-powered summaries threaten media diversity and violate existing legislation. They claim the new tool is a “traffic killer” because it provides users with short, AI-generated answers rather than directing them to the original news sources.
Publishers Fear for Their Future
Italian media leaders warn that AI Overviews could severely reduce website traffic for news outlets. Without visitors clicking through to publisher sites, they say, ad revenues and the economic viability of independent journalism could plummet. The federation stresses that this situation could undermine press freedom and limit the variety of voices in the Italian media landscape.
What Happens Next?
The federation has urged Italy’s competition authority to examine whether Google is breaching rules designed to protect media pluralism. This move follows broader European concerns about the power of tech giants over information flow and news consumption. As the investigation unfolds, all eyes will be on how regulators and Google respond to these serious allegations.
Sources:
The Guardian – Google AI Overviews Italian News Publishers Demand Investigation
