Japan's Fair Trade Commission plans to launch a fact-finding investigation into search engines using generative AI for potentially unauthorized use of news articles from media organizations. This could violate the Antimonopoly Law through abuse of dominant position. Targets include major U.S. tech firms like Google and Microsoft.
The Japan Fair Trade Commission (JFTC) intends to carry out a fact-finding investigation into generative AI-powered search engines that use news articles from media organizations without permission. According to sources, the probe will focus on practices by major tech companies that may amount to an abuse of dominant position, violating the Antimonopoly Law.
Targeted entities include U.S.-based Google LLC, Microsoft Corp., and startup Perplexity AI Inc., as well as Japan's LY Corp. The investigation may extend to OpenAI, provider of the AI chatbot ChatGPT.
These AI search engines process conversational queries and generate summarized responses drawn from internet data, offering greater convenience over traditional search methods by delivering direct answers. However, the unauthorized incorporation of news articles into these responses poses a significant issue, as it threatens the ad revenue streams of news providers.
In 2023, the JFTC issued a report following its survey of the news media sector, highlighting that using articles for free or at minimal cost could breach the Antimonopoly Law. Similar concerns are under scrutiny in Europe, where the European Commission has initiated an investigation into Google for potential violations of EU competition law.
This development underscores tensions between AI innovation and the economic viability of journalism, with the JFTC aiming to ensure fair competition through thorough examination.