Google reportedly tests paying publishers for AI search results

Google has launched a pilot program that pays publishers for their contributions to its AI-powered search features, according to reports from The Information and Digiday. The program, which began less than a year ago, involves approximately 100 publishers. Participating publishers are compensated based on how much their content contributed to AI Overviews, AI Mode in Search, and the Gemini chatbot. Earnings vary significantly — one publisher that joined when the program first started earned over $1 million in a year, while another that joined more recently earned around $50,000 to $60,000. The initiative comes amid growing scrutiny over AI features' impact on web traffic, with publishers lodging criticism and lawsuits against Google. Regulators have also responded: in June, the UK ruled that Google must allow publishers to opt out of AI search features, and the European Union opened an investigation into its impact on web traffic and recently ordered changes to its search engine.

(Source：The Verge)