Google sued by Rolling Stones owner over 'AI Overview' feature

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The owner of Rolling Stone, Billboard and Variety has sued Google, alleging the technology giant’s AI-generated summaries use its journalism without consent and divert traffic away from its websites.

The lawsuit, filed Friday in federal court in Washington, DC, marks the first time a major US publisher has taken Alphabet-owned Google to court over the "AI Overviews" that appear at the top of search results, according to Reuters.

Penske Media, a family-owned company led by Jay Penske, said Google only includes publishers' sites in its search results if it can also use their content in AI features, allowing it to avoid paying for republishing rights or training material. 

The company said the practice has already cut affiliate revenue by more than a third from its peak by the end of 2024.

The complaint comes as Google faces mounting scrutiny over its market dominance. 

A federal court last year found the company held nearly 90 per cent of the US search market, and earlier this month a judge handed it a rare antitrust victory by ruling it would not have to sell its Chrome browser.

"We have a responsibility to proactively fight for the future of digital media and preserve its integrity – all of which is threatened by Google's current actions," Penske said.

Google rejected the allegations. "With AI Overviews, people find Search more helpful and use it more, creating new opportunities for content to be discovered. We will defend against these meritless claims," spokesperson Jose Castaneda said.

The dispute follows a similar lawsuit in February by online education company Chegg, and comes amid criticism from the News/Media Alliance trade group, which said publishers lack any way to opt out of AI overviews.

"When you have the massive scale and market power that Google has, you are not obligated to abide by the same norms. That is the problem," said Danielle Coffey, the group's chief executive.