AI & Law

🇪🇺EU Opens Antitrust Probe into Google’s AI Training Practices The European Commission has launched an antitrust investigation into whether Google is using web content and YouTube uploads to train its AI systems without appropriate compensation, opt-out mechanisms, or equal access for competitors. Regulators are examining Google’s AI Overviews, AI Mode, and the use of YouTube content, noting that creators are required to grant Google permission for AI training without remuneration, while AI rivals are simultaneously blocked from using YouTube data for their own models. According to the Commission, the probe will assess whether Google imposes unfair terms on publishers and creators or grants itself privileged access to content in a way that may constitute abuse of dominance under EU competition rules. Google rejects the allegations, arguing that the inquiry risks slowing innovation and stating that tools like Google-Extended and robots.txt give publishers control, though the Commission noted concerns about the practical effects of blocking Google crawlers. T #AI#Antitrust#CompetitionLaw#DataGovernance#AIRegulation

🇺🇸Chegg Takes Google to Court Over AI Overviews Chegg has filed an antitrust lawsuit against Google, claiming that AI-generated search summaries are siphoning traffic and revenue from its platform. The lawsuit, filed on February 24, marks the first known legal challenge by a single company against Google's AI Overviews. Chegg alleges that Google is leveraging its market dominance to pressure companies into having their content used for AI-generated results—without compensation. CEO Nathan Schultz argues that Google is “reaping the financial benefits of Chegg’s content without having to spend a dime.” Facing declining revenues, Chegg is now considering going private or seeking acquisition. This case could set a precedent for how AI-generated content interacts with copyright and competition law. #AI#Antitrust#Copyright#AIRegulation#Google

US FTC Hosts Inaugural AI Policy Summit Greetings everyone! The US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) held its first public summit on AI policy on January 25, 2024, focusing on antitrust and consumer protection challenges posed by AI technology's rapid evolution. The event convened experts from academia, industry, and government to discuss competition and consumer protection considerations in AI. FTC leaders expressed concerns about anticompetitive practices and consumer protection risks stemming from the adoption of large language models and generative AI. The agency is exploring enhanced enforcement in the AI sector while developing its liability regime. FTC Chair Lina Khan highlighted worries about incumbent tech companies consolidating control of the AI sector through vertical integration, leveraging their influence over training data and infrastructure. The FTC also signaled intentions to address consumer protection issues related to harmful AI applications and privacy violations in training data collection. The FTC announced a Section 6(b) inquiry into recent AI investments and partnerships between developers and cloud service providers to study their competitive impact. The summit reflects the FTC's commitment to understanding and regulating AI's impact on competition and consumer welfare. #FTC#AIPolicySummit#Antitrust#ConsumerProtection