Turkish watchdog opens probe into Google’s AI-generated summaries
ANKARA
Türkiye’s Competition Authority launched an investigation into Google’s artificial intelligence services on Nov. 2, citing concerns that AI-generated summaries and overviews could be reducing traffic to news websites.
The investigation targeted Google’s AI Overviews and AI Mode services, with the body ordering interim measures, according to a written statement by the board.
Google’s AI Overviews feature provides AI-generated summary answers at the top of search results, while AI Mode allows users to obtain information through more extensive and interactive exchanges with the search engine.
These features enable users to find the information they are looking for without visiting the websites where the original content is published.
For news publishers in particular, this means their content may be used by Google without users being redirected to the websites hosting their articles. The resulting shift can affect publishers’ visitor traffic and, consequently, their advertising revenues.
Another dimension of the debate concerns how Google compensates news organizations for using their content in AI-generated responses. The visibility of source links, the terms governing content use and publishers’ ability to opt out of such use are also among the issues being debated internationally.
The Competition Board has placed the fair distribution of value generated from news publishers’ content on its agenda.
The investigation aims to determine whether Google’s practices in offering these features constitute a violation of competition law.
If the investigation establishes an infringement, Google could face administrative fines and be required to take measures to bring the violation to an end.
According to the Reuters Institute’s Journalism, Media and Technology Trends and Predictions 2026 report, media executives expect traffic from search engines to decline by 43 percent over the next three years.
In Türkiye, Google’s influence over news traffic previously prompted a joint response from several media organizations.