Google’s new AI search tool is shaking up the game for news Publishers. It’s like a summary with a side of links, but those links are less prominent and that’s not cool for Publishers. They’re losing traffic and that’s a big problem. But Google says they’re not trying to kill the open web. Still, the struggle is real. 🤖🔍📰
Google’s Experiment with AI Search
Google has been experimenting with a new AI tool for search called search generative experience. This tool uses a large language model (LLM) to provide summarized answers to search queries with fewer links to various sources, potentially threatening news publishers who rely on traffic from Google for their content. The experiment, currently with 10 million users who must opt-in to use it, showcases Google’s move towards more summarized content and less reliance on external sources for search results.
Impact on News Publishers
News publishers heavily rely on traffic from Google, a dependency that has only increased as social media platforms provide less traffic. On average, publishers receive up to 40% of their traffic from Google, and this experiment could potentially decrease that traffic by the same percentage, posing a significant threat to their online presence and revenue. This shift has led to concerns about the potential catastrophic impact on news publishers.
Responses from Industry Players
News publishers and media companies have responded to this shift through various means. Some have taken a legal approach, citing content theft and planning to sue, while others have opted to block certain web crawlers that feed into the large language model technology behind generative AI. Additionally, Google has attempted to address this issue by rolling out Google extended, allowing publishers to opt-out of having their content crawled for AI training. However, the specific AI-powered search tool, Google SGE, remains a pivotal concern for these publishers.
Exploring Potential Solutions
In response to these challenges, some media companies are considering licensing agreements with generative AI companies as a way to navigate the changing landscape. They hope that negotiations similar to those in the digital advertising market may lead to a mutual resolution. However, Google’s reluctance to pay publishers for training data and the lack of progress in negotiations poses a significant hurdle for news publishers looking for a sustainable solution.
Implications for Data Training and Search Models
The potential decline in traffic for news publishers could have broader implications for data training and the functionality of search models. Google can only train its AI model if it has access to a significant amount of data. Therefore, a drastic reduction in traffic may impact the effectiveness and utility of Google’s search tool. Despite Google’s assurances about maintaining traffic to publishers, the current iteration of the AI-powered search tool suggests a shift towards less prominent links and corroboration rather than directly attributing sources, posing challenges for publishers.
Conclusion
As Google continues to experiment with AI-powered search tools, news publishers are facing significant challenges regarding their online presence and traffic. The potential decline in traffic from Google poses a direct threat to the revenue and visibility of news publishers, leading to ongoing negotiations and explorations of alternative solutions in the evolving digital landscape. The implications of this shift extend beyond individual publishers, potentially impacting the fundamental functionality of search models and data training.
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