German media regulator says Google AI Overviews and Perplexity fall under media law

Germany’s Commission for Licensing and Supervision (ZAK) has ruled that Google’s AI Overviews and Perplexity AI are subject to German media law, treating AI-generated news summaries and chatbot responses as content created by the providers themselves. The decision follows a Munich court finding that Google could be directly liable for false statements produced by AI Overviews. ZAK said the Digital Services Act’s liability exemption does not apply, arguing the services can qualify as media intermediaries influencing news discoverability. Google plans to appeal; Perplexity declined to comment on the ruling.

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