AI gives Google power to ‘dictate’ the news people see: lawsuit
Google’s alleged monopoly on digital advertising has been at the forefront of discussion in recent months. Now, the attorney behind a major class-action lawsuit against the tech giant claims that the company’s advances in artificial intelligence (AI) give it unlimited power to control lives, influence thought and shape society.
“When the average person interacts with the internet, Google monitors and controls everything. From the search results, to the advertisements, to the web pages themselves, Google controls it all,” John C. Herman, of Herman Jones LLP in Atlanta, told Fox News Digital.
Herman’s client, Oklahoma businessman Craig McDaniel, filed a class-action lawsuit against Google in 2020 claiming that the company’s dominance of the digital advertising marketplace gives it the power to destroy competitors or almost any other company. The plaintiff claims that this monopoly has caused material damage to his publishing business.
Google has also faced scrutiny for its large control over the internet ad space, with some experts saying they have a ‘monopoly’ on the search engine industry.
The Department of Justice filed a substantially similar complaint against Google in January. It has since been joined by attorneys general from 17 states, ranging from deep red states (Nebraska, West Virginia) to deep blue states (California, New York).
“Google is the largest monopoly in United States history,” the McDaniel lawsuit claims.
Google controlled 90% of the publisher ad-serving market and 92% of the internet search market as of 2020, according to the lawsuit. Its near-total control likely has grown since then, experts say.
McDaniel now claims that the release of Google AI chatbot Bard in February gives the global digital leviathan additional power on top of its advertising monopoly to portray sponsors and business partners favorably and to portray competitors unfavorably. McDaniel claims that he believes Bard is “defective” and should be removed from the market.
Bard is complementary to other search capabilities and has helped Google better understand the uses of generative AI, Google said. The company added that it is “working with the ecosystem,” including news publishers, to get their input and improve the product.
FAQs:
What is the class-action lawsuit against Google about?
The lawsuit claims that Google’s alleged monopoly on digital advertising has caused material damage to Oklahoma businessman Craig McDaniel’s publishing business. The plaintiff alleges that Google’s dominance of the digital advertising space gives it the power to destroy competitors or almost any other company.
What is the Department of Justice’s complaint against Google?
The Department of Justice filed a substantially similar complaint against Google in January. It has since been joined by attorneys general from 17 states, ranging from deep red states (Nebraska, West Virginia) to deep blue states (California, New York). The complaint claims that Google’s monopolistic practices and anticompetitive behavior have resulted in the company controlling 90% of the publisher ad-serving market and 92% of the internet search market as of 2020.
What is Google’s AI chatbot Bard?
Bard is a generative AI system that creates text. It is complementary to other search capabilities and has helped Google better understand the uses of generative AI. The chatbot has been criticized for allegedly portraying sponsors and business partners favorably and portraying competitors unfavorably.
Why is Google accused of having a monopoly on digital advertising?
Google’s control over the internet ad space has been a topic of scrutiny, with some experts accusing the company of having a ‘monopoly’ on the search engine industry. The McDaniel lawsuit claims that Google’s alleged monopoly on digital advertising has caused material damage to Craig McDaniel’s publishing business, with the company controlling 90% of the publisher ad-serving market and 92% of the internet search market as of 2020.
Lawsuit Claims AI Enables Google to ‘Control’ News Access for Individuals
The attorney behind a major class-action lawsuit against Google has argued that the search giant’s near-monopoly over digital advertising and the advent of artificial intelligence technology give it almost unlimited power to control people’s lives, thoughts and society itself. Speaking to Fox News Digital, John C. Herman of Atlanta-based Herman Jones LLP claimed that Google “monitors and controls everything” when users interact with the internet, from search results to advertisements and individual web pages. “Adding in an AI component,” he said, “we now have a single company that dictates what news people see, what products they buy and even how they vote.” Herman is representing Oklahoma-based publishe Craig McDaniel, whose class-action lawsuit against Google claims that the company’s ad industry dominance unfairly harms competitors such as his own publishing business.
Google has moved to dismiss McDaniel’s lawsuit, and in January the company faced a similar complaint from the US Department of Justice. The suit has gained momentum since, with 17 state attorneys general joining forces against the company. “Google’s breathtaking monopoly power has been amassed and maintained by engaging in strategic acquisitions and illegal anticompetitive practices,” the DOJ has claimed.
Google has previously been criticised for its perceived monopoly power over the ad tech industry, with experts suggesting it dominates both the publisher ad-serving and internet search markets. Google’s alleged monopoly couples itself increasingly with the development of artificial intelligence, with McDaniel claiming that Google’s latest chatbot, known as Bard, gives the tech giant even greater power to portray sponsors and business partners favourably while discriminating against competitors, possibly unfairly to the point of malfeasance.
Google has yet to publicly respond to these specific accusations, though a spokesperson told Fox News Digital that the company is “working with the ecosystem,” including news publishers, to improve its AI products in a transparent and open manner.