Summary: Google’s new AI Overviews feature uses generative AI to provide summaries of online content. While it links back to the original sources, the prominent AI-generated summaries may reduce traffic to the original articles, raising concerns about the impact on digital journalism and ad revenue.
Testing Google’s new AI Overviews feature reveals real concerns for digital journalism. The feature, designed to offer direct answers to user queries using generative AI, can include content that closely mirrors original work without proper attribution, potentially affecting the revenue models critical to online journalists.
Background of Google’s AI Overviews
Google has introduced an AI Overviews feature aimed at providing quick, direct answers to users’ questions by generating summaries from a wide range of online content. While this offers convenience to users, it poses significant challenges to content creators and the digital journalism industry.
Experience with AI Overviews
During a test of Google’s AI Overviews, a paragraph similar to the opening of my WIRED article about Anthropic’s Claude chatbot was generated. The summary appeared prominently, with the link to my original article at the bottom, making it less likely for users to click through to the full article.
Concerns About Traffic and Revenue
This raises important questions about how AI Overviews might impact the business model of digital journalism. Online journalism relies heavily on traffic and clicks for revenue, and under-attributed summaries can divert crucial ad revenue away from original content creators.
Google’s Response
Contacting Google about this issue led to a spokesperson acknowledging that AI Overviews may use sections of web content directly but defended the inclusion of references back to the original sources. Nonetheless, the positioning of these references often makes them less visible and less likely to drive readers to the full articles.
Legal Implications
Legal experts have mixed opinions on whether this constitutes copyright infringement. One expert suggested that, because the content is factual rather than creative, a strong case for copyright infringement might not hold. Another, however, felt that a jury could potentially find the AI Overview “substantially similar” to the original work, which might tilt the balance in favor of the content creator.
Wider Impact on Digital Journalism
The broader implication of AI Overviews could be a dramatic transformation in digital journalism. Reduced traffic and revenue could further strain an already financially struggling industry. Moreover, licensing deals between major media companies and AI firms could have profound consequences for individual journalists and their ability to earn a livelihood.
Future Considerations
As AI continues to advance, it becomes essential to consider its implications for the free press and access to quality information. Even if Google’s intention isn’t to replace original reporting, the design and deployment of AI Overviews can undermine the content it aims to highlight, necessitating a reconsideration of these features.
Hashtags: #AIOverviews #DigitalJournalism #SEOMidMichigan #LegalInsights #JournalismRevenue
Featured Image courtesy of Unsplash and ZHENYU LUO (kE0JmtbvXxM)
