Italy’s telecom regulator has formally warned the European Commission that Google’s AI-powered search features put publishers’ business models at risk, adding to a growing wave of EU regulatory pressure.
Italy’s communications authority Agcom has submitted a formal report to the European Commission arguing that Google’s AI-powered search features put publishers’ business models at risk. Agcom president Giacomo Lasorella called for action against what he described as an imbalance created by Big Tech, according to a report from Il Sole 24 ORE.
For SEO practitioners and publisher-side marketers, this is the latest signal in a pattern that has been building for months. The European Commission already opened a formal antitrust inquiry into Google’s use of publisher content in December 2025, and each new regulatory action increases the likelihood of mandated changes to AI Overviews, AI Mode, and search result formatting across Europe.
What Agcom’s Report Says
Agcom’s report to the EU Commission centers on the argument that Google’s AI features, which synthesize and display publisher content directly in search results, undermine the economic foundation of news and media organizations. The regulator’s position is that publishers lose traffic and ad revenue when users get answers without clicking through to the source.
“Google’s AI puts publishers’ business at risk.”
Giacomo Lasorella, President, Agcom (Il Sole 24 ORE)
Lasorella also called on the Italian government to take action against the imbalance created by Big Tech, framing the issue as both a competition concern and a threat to media pluralism. The report was submitted directly to the European Commission, suggesting Agcom wants the issue addressed at the EU level rather than through national regulation alone.
How This Fits Into the Broader EU Regulatory Push
Agcom’s warning does not exist in isolation. In December 2025, the European Commission launched a formal antitrust inquiry into whether Google uses publisher content unfairly while making it effectively impossible for publishers to opt out without losing search visibility entirely. That inquiry is still ongoing.
On the other side of the Atlantic, Penske Media Corporation filed a separate antitrust action in February 2026 alleging that Google cannibalizes publisher traffic through its AI features. The parallel actions on both continents suggest this is not a regional complaint but a structural tension between AI-powered search and the publishing industry.
Meanwhile, a Reuters Institute survey of 280 senior media leaders found that publishers expect search traffic to fall over 40% due to generative AI tools. That expectation is shaping how publishers approach both their SEO strategies and their willingness to support regulatory intervention.
Google has taken some steps to address publisher concerns, including expanding its Preferred Sources program and launching publisher AI partnerships in late 2025. Whether those voluntary measures will satisfy regulators remains an open question.
What Publisher-Side SEOs Should Do Now
- Start scenario-planning for EU-mandated changes to how AI Overviews and AI Mode display or link to publisher content. Regulatory timelines in the EU typically run 12 to 18 months from formal inquiry to enforcement action, so changes could begin materializing in late 2026 or early 2027.
- Audit your current Google traffic dependency. If organic search accounts for a large share of your referral traffic, begin diversifying into newsletters, social distribution, and direct audience channels now, before any regulatory or product changes take effect.
- Monitor the EU Commission’s antitrust inquiry and any interim measures that could affect crawl and index opt-out dynamics. Changes here could directly impact robots.txt strategies and AI training consent configurations.
- Track whether other national regulators (France’s Arcep, Germany’s BNetzA) file similar reports. A coordinated push from multiple member states would significantly accelerate the Commission’s timeline.
Why This Matters
Each new regulatory filing adds weight to the case that Google’s AI search features will face structural constraints in Europe. For SEO practitioners, this is not just a policy story. If the EU mandates changes to how AI Overviews or AI Mode present publisher content, those changes will directly affect click-through rates, SERP layouts, and the value of organic rankings for publisher sites across the region.
The broader dynamic is also worth watching for non-publisher sites. AI search is already reshaping publisher revenue models, and any regulatory framework that emerges in Europe could set precedents for how AI-generated answers interact with all types of organic content, not just news.
Google has not publicly responded to Agcom’s report. Whether the company addresses the filing directly or folds it into its broader EU regulatory engagement will be worth monitoring in the weeks ahead.
AI-generated first-pass scaffolding. This draft was produced by Search Engine Journal’s newsroom automation as a starting point for a writer. Rewrite before publishing.
Research notes (review and remove before publishing)
The bot collected this context while writing. Skim, verify, then delete this whole section before publish.
Headline alternatives
- Italy’s Agcom Warns EU: Google AI Threatens Publishers
- What EU Regulatory Pressure on Google AI Means for SEOs
- Another EU Regulator Targets Google’s AI Search Features
Primary sources cited
- (unknown) Google’s AI puts publishers’ business at risk – Il Sole 24 ORE
“Agcom president Giacomo Lasorella warns EU Commission that Google’s AI puts publishers’ business at risk” — Il Sole 24 ORE (Andrea Biondi)
Suggested internal links (prior SEJ coverage)
- Google Hit By EU Probe Into Unfair Use Of Online Content — anchor: “EU antitrust inquiry into Google’s use of publisher content” (2025-12-10)
- Antitrust Filing Says Google Cannibalizes Publisher Traffic — anchor: “PMC’s antitrust filing alleging Google cannibalizes publisher traffic” (2026-02-16)
- Survey: Publishers Expect Search Traffic To Fall Over 40% — anchor: “Reuters Institute survey on expected publisher traffic declines” (2026-01-15)
- The Click Economy Is Over: How AI Search Is Forcing Publishers To Rethink Revenue — anchor: “how AI search is reshaping publisher revenue models” (2025-12-16)
- Google Expands Preferred Sources & Publisher AI Partnerships — anchor: “Google’s Preferred Sources expansion and publisher AI pilot” (2025-12-10)
Practitioner pulse
No social signals available in research inputs; story may not yet have English-language practitioner discussion given it originated in Italian media.
Background
Italy’s communications authority Agcom has submitted a report to the EU Commission arguing that Google’s AI-powered search features put publishers’ business models at risk, with Agcom president Giacomo Lasorella calling for action against the imbalance created by Big Tech. This follows the European Commission’s December 2025 launch of a formal antitrust inquiry into whether Google uses publisher content unfairly while making it impossible for publishers to opt out without losing search visibility (searchenginejournal.com). In the US, Penske Media Corporation filed a parallel antitrust action in February 2026 alleging Google cannibalizes publisher traffic (searchenginejournal.com). A Reuters Institute survey of 280 senior media leaders found publishers expect search traffic to fall over 40% due to generative AI tools (searchenginejournal.com).
Open questions for follow-up coverage
- Has Agcom published the full report text, and does it contain specific data on Italian publisher traffic losses attributable to Google AI features?
- Does this Agcom report feed into the existing EU Commission antitrust inquiry opened in December 2025, or is it a separate regulatory track?
- Has Google issued any public response to the Agcom report?
- Are other EU national regulators (France’s Arcep, Germany’s BNetzA) filing similar reports to the Commission?
⚠ Unknown-tier sources surfaced (vet before quoting)
- en.ilsole24ore.com https://en.ilsole24ore.com/art/google-puts-publishers-business-at-risk-AIg15DoC?refresh_ce=1
Image search query
“European Union regulation digital media publishing”
Flags
dateline=aging · degraded research: preflight (wp_401), cse (no social results in inputs)
Drafter’s writer notes
FACTCHECK_FLAGS_GO_HERE
Source tier note: The primary source (Il Sole 24 ORE, en.ilsole24ore.com) was classified as ‘unknown’ tier by the research stage. Il Sole 24 ORE is Italy’s leading financial newspaper and a credible source, but the English-language version of the article was very thin on detail. The writer should attempt to locate the full Agcom report (likely published on agcom.it) for additional data points, especially any specific figures on Italian publisher traffic losses attributed to Google AI features.
Open questions to verify before publish: 1. Does this Agcom report feed into the existing EU Commission antitrust inquiry opened in December 2025, or is it a separate regulatory track? The article treats them as related but distinct, which may need clarification. 2. Has Google issued any public response to the Agcom report? The article notes no response was found, but check Google’s EU policy blog and press channels. 3. Are other EU national regulators (France’s Arcep, Germany’s BNetzA) filing similar reports? If so, that would strengthen the ‘coordinated push’ framing.
Research degradation notes: The preflight stage returned a WP 401 error, and the CSE stage returned no social results. The story originated in Italian media and may not yet have significant English-language practitioner discussion. Social pulse section was skipped accordingly.
Suggested follow-up: If/when the full Agcom report text becomes available, a deeper analysis of the specific data and recommendations would make a strong follow-up piece. Also worth monitoring for any Google response or Commission acknowledgment of the filing.
Fact-check pass: No flagged claims.
