Google begins paying around 100 publishers for content used in AI Overviews

[Aura]

Google is running a pilot that pays roughly 100 publishers for content that feeds into its AI Overviews and other AI search features. It is described as an early stage learning pilot. The aim is to address growing anger from publishers who say AI summaries are eating into the traffic that pays for their journalism

The payments vary hugely. According to reports, one publisher that joined early is earning more than $1 million a year, while one that joined a few months ago has made $50,000 to $60,000. Smaller sites have reportedly earned less than $1,000 over several months. So this is not a windfall for everyone

Publishers have watched search traffic fall sharply since AI Overviews launched, because people get answers without clicking through. Google insists it still sends billions of clicks a day through Search. Forbes' chief innovation officer Nina Gould summed up the problem neatly, saying that when you chop off that first click from Google, you lose a lot of the audience and are left only with loyal readers

Google already runs other programmes, including a news AI pilot with more than 200 publications and Google News Showcase, which covers over 2,800 publications in 33 countries. Critics argue the payments are small compared with the value Google gets from the content, and some reports say publishers have little ability to opt out of AI features without hurting their search visibility. Supporters say the pilot is at least a step in the right direction

This links back to the Ofcom figures showing one in five Brits now use AI for news. Is paying publishers a fair fix, or is it too little too late? And should publishers be able to opt out of AI summaries without being punished in search?

Google reportedly tests paying publishers for AI search resultswww.theverge.com