Google fined $270M for using news articles to train Gemini
What's the story
Google has been slapped with a $270 million fine by French authorities for utilizing articles from media firms to train its AI chatbot, Gemini, without securing prior permission.
The New York Times reported that the tech behemoth failed to notify the publishers or the French government about this activity.
This event is a chapter in the ongoing conflict between France, Google and, indirectly, the European Union over tech monopolies on services and goods.
Google asked to obey rules
France's anti-trust agency fined Google
The penalty was levied by France's Autorite de la concurrence, an anti-trust government body that has been urging Google to adhere to its decisions since 2020.
The agency had earlier directed Google to engage in honest negotiations with publishers and news agencies about compensation for reusing their protected content.
In 2021, Google was penalized over $500 million for non-compliance, prompting the tech titan to commit to France's regulations and appoint an external monitor for compliance verification.
Fairness questioned
Unfair practices toward media companies
France's anti-trust body discovered that Google did not engage in honest negotiations with media firms regarding fair remuneration.
The agency also pointed out that Google failed to provide significant data to these companies, hindering them from determining what they were due for their content usage.
Moreover, the agency underscored how Google's AI chatbot Bard (now known as Gemini) was trained using articles from media firms without their consent and without offering them an opt-out choice.
Google's response
Google responds to French penalty and accusations
Reacting to the ruling, Google said, "We have compromised because it is time to turn the page and, as our numerous agreements with publishers prove, we want to focus on sustainable approaches in order to connect Internet users with quality content and work constructively with publishers."
The firm also contended that the penalty was excessive and did not "sufficiently take into account the efforts we have made to answer and resolve the concerns raised."
Lessons for Google
French officials and publishers react to Google's penalty
"Reliable, sourced and trustworthy information is priceless but it has a cost. The Competition Authority reminded Google of this today," said Marina Ferrari, the French government's secretary of state for digital affairs.
Former AFP head Pierre Louette, currently CEO at newspaper group Le Parisien-Les Echos, proposed that it would be more beneficial to have even higher fair compensation for publishers rather than continuing to pay penalties to the state.