In brief: Media supervisory authorities classify AI-generated content as independent media content and thereby subject Google and Perplexity to media law regulation.
The German state media authorities classify AI-generated content as independent media content and subject it to regulation. Google and Perplexity could thus be obligated to comply with media law provisions.
The German state media authorities have determined in their assessment that content generated by AI search engines is not to be classified as mere aggregation of existing data, but rather as independent content created by the AI itself. This categorization entails media law consequences.
For services such as Google and Perplexity, this means that when providing AI-generated search results and summaries, they are subject to the same media law requirements as traditional media companies. This includes provisions for labelling, separation of advertising and editorial content, and possibly for ensuring media diversity.
The regulatory perspective of the media authorities reflects a fundamental shift in the assessment of AI systems: not as neutral technology tools, but as active content publishers with corresponding responsibilities. The practical implementation of this regulation remains to be clarified, particularly with regard to technical feasibility and enforcement.
Source: www.golem.de · Published 15 July 2026
Lumi AI News — AI-assisted curation pursuant to Art. 50 EU AI Act. Paraphrase and classification by Lumi News Pipeline v1.7.3.