The Munich court has rendered judgment in favor of two German publishing houses that filed a lawsuit challenging Google’s artificial intelligence activities, alleging the dissemination of false information about their business operations and the existence of nonexistent fraudulent financial schemes unrelated to any official sources. The claimants requested Google to address and rectify the inaccuracies; however, the company declined to comply.
Following the proceedings, the court ordered Google to immediately cease distributing false information in Germany. It held the company liable for 80% of the litigation costs, with the remaining 20% split equally between the publishing houses.
The court dismissed Google’s argument that users are responsible for verifying primary sources, noting that the AI Overview service synthesizes information and generates substantial new claims by analyzing and summarizing data from various sources using its algorithm.
As Google governs the operational algorithms of the Gemini artificial intelligence software, the court has deemed the corporation accountable for statements made by the platform, thereby negating immunity typically afforded to intermediaries. This ruling may result in significant restrictions or the discontinuation of Google’s AI functionalities across the European Union.
Previously, Google faced a class-action lawsuit in the United States alleging that its Gemini AI was used to surveil users’ private communications across Gmail, Chat, and Meet.