Google Pays Hundreds of Media Companies in Secret AI Program
For the past year, Google has been paying around 100 media companies for material used in its AI search results through a secret program. However, the compensation is described as being very low.
What happened?
For nearly a year, Google has been paying around 100 major media companies for the right to use their content in the search engine's AI-generated search results, according to a report by the American tech news site The Information. The program has been kept secret and compensation levels vary significantly between different publishers.
Key facts
| Antal berörda mediebolag | Cirka 100 bolag |
|---|---|
| Programmets varaktighet | Nästan ett år |
Why it matters
The agreements illustrate how tech giants are seeking legal avenues and licensing deals to train and feed their AI models with copyrighted news material. Many media companies, however, report that the amounts offered by Google are very low in relation to the value of the content.
Who is affected?
The news primarily concerns media houses and publishers that produce news material, as well as users of Google's AI search features. The Swedish media industry is also closely monitoring developments regarding copyright and the licensing of editorial content.
Impact on the EU
The compensation and agreements primarily cover global and US media, according to reports. Within the EU, the use of copyrighted material is regulated by the 2019 Copyright Directive, which grants publishers the right to demand compensation when platforms reuse their material.
What else you should know
According to The Information's investigation, the agreements have been in place for nearly a year. Sources told the site that in many cases, the compensation levels are so low that they barely register in the affected media companies' financial records.
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