Google Strikes Tough Negotiating Stance With Publishers on AI Licensing

Google is tightening the screws on news publishers.

In recent months, the tech giant has been pitching publishers on a pilot program to test new AI features in Google News. The program, announced in December with initial partners such as The Washington Post and The Guardian, offers publishers promotion in “AI-powered article overviews” in Google News and its AI chatbot, Gemini. That’s a valuable offer at a time when publishers have complained that traffic referred by traditional search to their sites has dropped by as much as half.