Online education company Chegg has filed a lawsuit against Google, alleging that the search giant's AI-generated summaries of search results, known as AI Overviews, have hurt its traffic and revenue. The lawsuit, filed on February 24th, marks the first antitrust lawsuit filed by a single company over the AI Overviews feature.

According to Chegg, Google uses its power as a monopoly to coerce companies into using their content for AI Overviews, "reaping the financial benefits of Chegg's content without having to spend a dime." Chegg's CEO, Nathan Schultz, stated in prepared remarks for investors that the company is now considering getting acquired and going private as a result of the alleged harm caused by Google's AI Overviews.

The lawsuit comes as a number of media outlets have expressed concern over how Google's AI summaries have impacted traffic. Last year, the News/Media Alliance — an organization that represents over 2,000 news publishers — published a press release saying the impact of AI Overviews will be "catastrophic." Chegg's CEO echoed this sentiment, stating that the lawsuit is "about more than Chegg – it's about the digital publishing industry, the future of internet search, and about students losing access to quality, step-by-step learning in favor of low-quality, unverified AI summaries."

In response to the lawsuit, Google spokesperson Jose Castaneda stated that "every day, Google sends billions of clicks to sites across the web, and AI Overviews send traffic to a greater diversity of sites." However, this response has not alleviated concerns that Google's AI Overviews are cannibalizing traffic from other websites, including those in the education sector.

The implications of this lawsuit are far-reaching, with potential consequences for the digital publishing industry, internet search, and the future of online education. As the first antitrust lawsuit filed by a single company over the AI Overviews feature, Chegg's lawsuit sets a precedent for other companies that may be affected by Google's AI-generated summaries.

It remains to be seen how this lawsuit will play out, but one thing is clear: the rise of AI-generated content has sparked a heated debate about the role of technology in shaping the future of online search and education. As the tech industry continues to evolve, it is essential to consider the potential consequences of AI-powered features like Google's AI Overviews and to ensure that they do not harm the very industries they are intended to serve.