Google's AI Mode is 'the definition of theft,' publishers say

The AI takeover of Search is in full swing, especially as Google’s new AI Mode is going live for all US users. But for publishers, this continues the existential crisis around how Google Search is changing, with a new statement calling AI Mode “the definition of theft” while legal documents reveal that Google did consider opt out controls that ultimately weren’t implemented. In a statement earlier this week, the News/Media Alliance slammed Google for “further depriving publishers of original content both traffic and revenue.” The full statement reads: Links were the last redeeming quality of search that gave publishers traffic and revenue. Now Google just takes content by force and uses it with no return, the definition of theft. The DOJ remedies must address this to prevent continued domination of the internet by one company. This comes right as new documents revealed that Google had weighed out several options regarding allowing publishers to opt out of “SGE” – what ultimately bec ... Read full article.