Google I/O 2025: As Google pushes AI Mode in Search, will it help ease antitrust pressure?

By | May 22, 2025

At the 2025 Google I/O conference, Google unveiled its ambitious new feature — AI Mode in Search, a bold step toward revolutionizing how users interact with the world’s most popular search engine. Powered by Google’s advanced Gemini 2.5 AI model, this feature aims to deliver richer, more conversational, and interactive search experiences by providing direct AI-generated answers rather than the traditional list of links.

However, while this innovation promises to transform search, it also raises critical questions: Will AI Mode help Google navigate the growing antitrust pressures from regulators and critics? Or will it further fuel concerns about market dominance and fair competition?

What Is Google’s AI Mode?

Google’s AI Mode is more than just a feature update; it represents a fundamental shift in search technology. Unlike the classic Google Search that returns a ranked list of web pages, AI Mode uses generative AI to synthesize information from across the web into coherent, concise answers tailored to user queries. The AI can interpret inputs not only through text but also voice and images, making the experience multimodal.

This shift offers users a more natural, conversational search experience, enabling follow-up questions and deeper engagement. For example, users can ask clarifying questions or request additional details without starting a new search.

Initially launched for Google One AI Premium subscribers in the U.S., AI Mode has since been made available to all users in the country, signaling Google’s commitment to integrating AI more deeply into its core services.

The Antitrust Backdrop

Google’s innovation with AI Mode does not exist in a vacuum. For years, Google has been under increasing antitrust scrutiny globally, particularly in the U.S. and Europe. Regulators and competitors accuse Google of monopolizing the search and advertising markets, often citing the company’s dominant market share and its control over the flow of online information.

Adding AI Mode to search intensifies these concerns. The technology fundamentally changes how users receive information, potentially reducing traffic to original content sources, such as news websites and publishers. These publishers rely heavily on search referrals for revenue through ads and subscriptions.

Publisher Backlash: The “Theft” Allegation

One of the most vocal critics of Google’s AI Mode has been the News/Media Alliance, a group representing major U.S. news publishers. The alliance argues that Google’s AI Mode effectively “steals” publisher content by summarizing or repurposing their original articles without explicit permission or compensation.

The concern is that if users get all their answers directly from AI-generated responses, they may no longer visit the publishers’ websites, leading to a decline in ad revenue and subscriber growth. This shift threatens the sustainability of journalism and independent media, critics warn.

Further complicating the issue, internal documents revealed during Google’s ongoing antitrust litigation show that Google chose not to ask publishers for consent to use their content in AI Mode. Instead, publishers must opt out entirely from Google Search to prevent their content from being included — a move publishers say is unfair and impractical.

Regulatory and Legal Implications

Google’s handling of publisher content is drawing increased regulatory scrutiny. Antitrust authorities are examining whether Google’s AI Mode reinforces its market dominance unfairly by leveraging content without appropriate licensing agreements.

The Department of Justice and Federal Trade Commission are actively investigating these practices amid broader concerns about how Big Tech uses AI to consolidate power. Meanwhile, advocacy groups urge for new legislation or regulatory frameworks to ensure fair compensation and transparency in AI-generated content usage.

Additionally, some lawmakers and regulators see AI Mode as a test case for how AI will disrupt digital markets and information ecosystems, pushing for oversight that balances innovation with fairness.

Market Competition and Investor Sentiment

On the market front, AI Mode represents Google’s strategic response to emerging competition from AI-driven platforms like OpenAI’s ChatGPT, Microsoft’s Bing AI, and other conversational search technologies.

While AI Mode strengthens Google’s technological edge, it does not guarantee dominance will continue unchallenged. Analysts predict Google’s traditional search market share may dip below 50% in the near future, as users experiment with AI alternatives offering different user experiences.

This competitive pressure has unsettled investors. Alphabet’s stock performance has seen volatility, with some shareholders questioning if Google can maintain its leadership while navigating regulatory risks and adapting to AI-driven market shifts.

Will AI Mode Ease Antitrust Pressure?

Despite the technological advances AI Mode brings, it remains uncertain whether it will reduce antitrust pressures on Google. In many ways, it has raised the stakes.

  • On one hand, AI Mode improves user experience by offering faster, more relevant answers and may attract more users to Google’s ecosystem, reinforcing its market position.
  • On the other hand, it sharpens focus on how Google leverages content from publishers without clear compensation, increasing calls for regulatory action.

Moreover, Google’s approach to opt-out rather than opt-in content usage has been criticized for lacking transparency and fairness, which regulators could view unfavorably.

To ease antitrust concerns, Google may need to engage in more collaborative arrangements with publishers, offering licensing deals or revenue-sharing models. Transparency around how AI Mode sources and uses content will also be key to building trust with stakeholders.

The Broader Impact on the Search Ecosystem

Google’s AI Mode heralds a new era of search, one where AI plays a central role in shaping how information is accessed and consumed. This evolution raises broader questions:

  • How will publishers adapt to AI-driven search that bypasses traditional page views?
  • What responsibilities do search engines have to ensure fair use of content?
  • Will regulators develop new rules to govern AI’s use of third-party data and content?

The answers to these questions will shape the digital landscape for years to come.

Conclusion

Google I/O 2025 showcased AI Mode as a transformative feature, promising to redefine search with generative AI. While the innovation positions Google at the forefront of AI-powered search technology, it has simultaneously reignited antitrust and ethical debates.

For Google, the challenge is balancing innovation with fair competition and respect for content creators. Whether AI Mode will help ease the mounting antitrust pressure depends largely on Google’s willingness to address publisher concerns and regulatory demands transparently and collaboratively.

In a fast-evolving digital world, Google’s AI Mode is just the beginning of how AI will reshape search—and the scrutiny that comes with it.