Google pilots payments to publishers for content used in AI search features

Google has launched a pilot scheme that remunerates about one hundred news and media publishers for the contribution of their content to its AI-enhanced search offerings. According to one outlet, payments are calculated from the frequency their material shows up in AI Overviews, the AI Mode of Search and the Gemini chatbot. Early figures reveal a publisher that joined at the start earned more than $1 million in a year, while another that entered a few months later has been paid roughly $50,000 to $60,000.

The initiative arrives as Google confronts mounting criticism and legal actions from publishers who say its AI features siphon traffic. Regulatory scrutiny has intensified, with a June UK decision requiring an opt-out mechanism for publishers and an EU investigation that has already forced changes to the search engine. The pilot may indicate how Google plans to balance AI innovation with publisher compensation and regulatory compliance.