Reports indicate that Google has decided to pay digital media outlets in exchange for content used by AI to respond to queries on its search engine.
The Information news agency, citing sources, revealed that Google has a pilot program to pay over 100 digital media outlets based on the extent their content is used as AI-generated answers on Google's search system and other products.
This payment initiative is only a pilot, as Google has long maintained that it should not have to pay digital media producing content used to answer user queries, arguing that those queries already drive readers to media websites.
However, Google's launch of this pilot program represents a change in its approach to compensating media whose content appears on its search tools.
Notably, since Google introduced AI-generated summaries known as AI Overviews on search results pages, internet users clicking through from search to websites have dropped significantly, leading to strong criticism of Google and multiple digital media lawsuits on this issue.
Source:The Information