Google’s AI Mode under Agcom’s scrutiny: the right to information is at risk

The advent of generative artificial intelligence is radically transforming the way we consume information. A true technological revolution that brings benefits, but also profound questions about the survival of traditional journalism.

Recently, the president of Agcom, Giacomo Lasorella, has raised a critical issue regarding the relationship between the press and Google’s AI Mode by Google, announcing a imminent referral to the European Commission.

How Google’s AI Mode is changing search: Agcom’s analysis and the risks for publishers

The main concern expressed by the head of Agcom concerns the risk that users, relying exclusively on AI-generated summaries, stop consulting the original sources altogether, namely newspapers.

This phenomenon could lead to a dangerous compression of informational freedom, effectively violating Article 3 of the European Freedom Act, which guarantees the right to access a plurality of sources.

In this scenario, AI does not act only as a supporting tool, but as an intermediary that risks obscuring editorial work, making it difficult for citizens to distinguish and deepen their understanding of news through traditional channels.

To address such complexity, authorities are working closely with the European Commission, but Lasorella stresses that a constant dialogue with the scientific world is indispensable to integrate the technical expertise necessary for effective regulation.

Currently, Lasorella explains, the European Union’s Digital Services Act represents the only regulatory tool capable of regulating the rapid transformation of digital platforms.

The move by Agcom is not about protecting a simple professional category, but the democratic fabric of the country. The real danger is that artificial intelligence becomes the only filter between us and reality: if the user stops at the algorithm’s summary, they stop consulting diverse sources and lose that plurality of viewpoints that allows us to freely choose.