Since Google gave its search engine a major overhaul, publishers are trying to figure out how it impacts their delicate business models and are even calling for government action.
Take Frank Pine, for example. When he recently searched Google for a news article, he saw AI-generated summaries about the topic at the top of his results. He had to scroll through these summaries just to find the actual article he was after.
This left Pine, who’s the executive editor at Media News Group and Tribune Publishing, not just annoyed but genuinely worried. With Google announcing in May that these AI-generated summaries—made from various sources—would be widely available in the U.S., Pine and other publishing execs are concerned it could hurt their already shaky business models. They’re worried this could lead to less traffic to their sites from Google.
“It could really hurt the original creators of the content,” Pine said. He views AI Overviews as another step toward AI potentially replacing traditional news outlets.
Publishers are stuck between a rock and a hard place. They need Google for traffic, but seeing their content used in AI summaries feels like a mixed blessing.
One option is to block Google from using their content, but that might hurt their visibility in search results. The other extreme is to refuse to be indexed by Google at all, which could be disastrous for their businesses.
“We can’t do that, at least for now,” said Renn Turiano, head of product at Gannett, the largest newspaper publisher in the U.S.
Google argues that its search engine still drives tons of traffic to websites, which benefits publishers. The company says it only uses AI summaries when it’s clear users are looking for news on current events.
Despite some high-profile blunders, Google is committed to improving the AI Overview system, according to Liz Reid, Google’s VP of search.
The use of news content by tech giants like OpenAI and Google has also led to legal battles over copyright. The New York Times and other newspapers from Media News Group and Tribune Publishing have sued OpenAI and Microsoft, claiming they used news content to train their AI systems without permission.
AI Overviews is Google’s latest move to keep up with rivals like Microsoft and OpenAI, the creators of ChatGPT, in the AI race. Over a year ago, Microsoft integrated generative AI into Bing, making it central to its search engine. Google, initially cautious, is now pushing ahead with plans for widespread AI features, aiming to reach over a billion users by the end of the year.
AI Overviews combine AI-generated summaries with bits of content from various live web links. These summaries pull from multiple sources and cite them, so users don’t have to click through extra pages.
However, since its launch, the tool has had trouble distinguishing real articles from satirical ones. It’s faced criticism for things like suggesting you should glue things to pizza or eat rocks for a balanced diet.
While it’s too early to see major changes in traffic from Google due to AI Overviews, the News/Media Alliance, which represents 2,000 newspapers, is calling on the Justice Department and the Federal Trade Commission to look into Google’s use of news content and to stop expanding AI Overviews.
Many publishers are now looking at ways to connect directly with their readers to reduce their reliance on search engines. They’re focusing on digital subscriptions and driving traffic straight to their websites and apps.
Nicholas Thompson, CEO of The Atlantic, mentioned they’re investing more in direct reader engagement like email newsletters. Newspapers such as The Washington Post and The Texas Tribune are using a marketing startup called Subtext, which helps businesses connect with their subscribers through text messaging.
Mike Donoghue, CEO of Subtext, pointed out that media organizations are now focusing on engaging their most loyal followers rather than just chasing the largest audience. For example, The New York Post offers subscribers the chance to text with their sports reporters.
The copyright debate has taken a twist with OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT, making deals with publishers after initially scraping news sites to train its AI. OpenAI has agreed to pay companies like The Associated Press, The Atlantic, and News Corp. for their content. Google, on the other hand, hasn’t made similar deals. The tech giant argues that paying for content would undermine the open nature of the web.
Roger Lynch, CEO of Condé Nast (which publishes The New Yorker and Vogue), stressed that technology changes are inevitable and impact the media landscape. He suggested that lawmakers might need to step in to ensure creators are protected in new setups.
Nicholas Thompson from The Atlantic, who recently partnered with OpenAI, hopes Google will start compensating publishers too. Even with the potential for decreased traffic, he’s optimistic that being part of these new AI initiatives could be beneficial.
Thompson believes that adapting to technological changes is key and that participating in new projects like AI Overviews might help cushion the impact of any drop in traffic.
Source: The New York Times
