News Publishers Call Google’s AI Mode ‘Theft’, Demand Regulatory Intervention
Google’s latest AI-powered feature in Search—AI Mode—is sparking an intense backlash from news publishers, who say the tool is exploiting their content without consent or compensation. The News/Media Alliance, a major U.S.-based media group representing around 2,000 publishers, has called the new feature a form of “theft” and is urging federal regulators to step in.
Announced at Google’s I/O 2025 developer event, AI Mode is designed to make Search more conversational, allowing users to interact with it like a chatbot. Rather than presenting users with a list of clickable links as traditional search engines do, the new feature provides instant, full-length responses to user queries—answers that are often drawn from the very content produced by journalists and media houses.
Danielle Coffey, President and CEO of the News/Media Alliance, condemned the move: “Links were the last redeeming quality of search that gave publishers traffic and revenue. Now Google just takes content by force and uses it with no return, the definition of theft.”
The group is calling on the U.S. Department of Justice (DoJ) to step in, warning that Google’s growing dominance over online information could severely harm journalism and public discourse. “The DOJ remedies must address this to prevent continued domination of the internet by one company,” Coffey added.
AI Mode has been in testing via Google Labs for several months but is now rolling out to a wider audience in the United States. According to Google, the tool is accessible without requiring user sign-in and is primarily designed for mobile platforms. There’s no official word yet on when it will launch in other countries, including India.
Google is pitching AI Mode as the natural evolution of Search, claiming it enhances user experience by simplifying complex queries, saving time, and helping users with tasks like booking services, analysing data, or comparing prices. Rather than just showing snippets or headlines, AI Mode scans multiple websites—often news articles—and delivers detailed answers in seconds.
Alongside AI Mode, Google is introducing other features like Deep Search and Search Live. Deep Search can generate detailed responses by running hundreds of background queries, while Search Live uses your phone camera to answer questions about real-world objects in real time, effectively integrating Gemini Live into Search.
Despite the technological innovation, publishers fear these tools will undermine their presence in the digital ecosystem. As AI responses become the primary source of information in Google Search, users may no longer feel the need to click through to the original articles, leading to significant losses in traffic, ad revenue, and influence for news organisations.
This controversy comes at a sensitive time for Google, as it is currently embroiled in an antitrust trial in the U.S. A federal court has already determined that Google is a “monopolist” in the search market, and the case has now entered the remedies phase—where regulators and the court are exploring how best to curb the tech giant’s power.
Among the remedies proposed by the DoJ are forcing Google to divest its Chrome browser and requiring it to share search data with competitors. Now, publishers want the AI Mode issue to be included in this broader regulatory crackdown, arguing that without intervention, journalism’s role in a democratic society could be irreparably harmed.
As AI tools continue to reshape the internet, the battle over how content is used—and who gets credit or compensation—has become more urgent than ever. For publishers, this isn’t just about traffic but survival in the AI age.
Tags: Google AI Mode controversy, News publishers, Google, AI Search and media, Google antitrust case, AI Mode, Tech News, Technology