'Google's AI puts publishers' business at risk'

'There is a risk to the activity of publishers. But broadening our view, we have to take into account that this is an issue that concerns pluralism and the possibility of conditioning public debate'. Agcom president Giacomo Lasorella starts from this point, speaking to Il Sole 24 Ore, to frame the profound reasons that led the Authority to decide to bring the Google case before the EU Commission.

In the crosshairs end up AI Overviews and AI Mode, the new interfaces with which the search engine responds directly to users, without going through links to the sites that produce that news. The result? Less advertising revenue for publishers and more difficulties in financing editorial staff and authors. And the smallest and most independent publications would pay the bill.

The report stems from the FIEG complaint and the verifications conducted by Agcom. Publishers speak of traffic evaporating, revenues dwindling, and visibility decreasing, and this is why they welcomed Agcom's decision to report to Brussels, albeit not unanimously but with Commissioner Elisa Giomi voting against, complaining of Agcom's 'protectionist role in the interests of publishers'.

Google's AI, Lasorella emphasises, 'is, in fact, a mechanism that disincentivises the user to go directly to the sources'. Hence the decision to pivot to the Digital Services Act (Articles 27, 34 and 35). 'Platforms are required to assess the systemic risks arising from the services they offer to users and to mitigate the possible consequences. The evidence at our disposal,' adds Lasorella, 'has comforted us on the idea that this systemic risk has not been assessed and that adequate tools have not been put in place to mitigate it'.

Now the ball is in Brussels' court. "The national authorities can make this report. Then it is only a report and you submit to the Commission the need to investigate this'. This is not a detail: on large platforms the competence is European. And Italia is not alone. 'A similar report was made by the German authority before us,' recalls the Agcom president. So the Commission is faced with two converging alarms. If the investigation starts and the violations are ascertained, the risk for the platforms could be heavy: "In addition to specific orders, also that of a penalty that I believe will reach up to 6% of the turnover".