Google reportedly pays publishers for contributions to AI answers

Google is paying roughly 100 publishers in a pilot tied to how much their content contributes to AI Overviews, AI Mode and Gemini, The Information reported. The program began less than a year ago, according to Digiday. Payments vary widely: one publisher that joined at the start earned over $1 million in a year, while another that joined a few months ago earned around $50,000 to $60,000. The pilot gives participating publishers a source of revenue as Google faces criticism and regulatory scrutiny over AI search features' effect on web traffic.