Key facts
- Google supports its existing model for paying news publishers.
- Apple is considering paying publishers based on the usage of their content by its AI assistant.
- Google has licensing agreements with over 5,500 European press publishers.
- Publishers receive compensation when their content appears in Google's AI Overviews and AI Mode.
- OpenAI has separate agreements with major media companies.
Google has affirmed its support for its current system of compensating news publishers, even as Apple explores a new payment model tied to the usage of journalistic content by its AI assistant. Google views itself as the sole major tech platform with a structured, large-scale approach to paying publishers, maintaining licensing agreements with over 5,500 European press publishers and compensating them when their content, including snippets, is featured in Google's AI Overviews and AI Mode.
This development follows Apple's announcement of a new strategy for multiyear agreements with publishers to feed its revamped, AI-powered Siri, expected later this year. In contrast to the common practice of guaranteed fees in licensing deals, Apple is reportedly discussing payments based on the actual frequency of content usage by Siri, according to the Wall Street Journal. The iPhone maker has reportedly allocated a budget in the hundreds of millions of dollars for these publisher payments.
Google's approach emphasizes partnerships tailored to individual publishers and products, rather than a uniform payment formula. Apple's proposed model would more directly link the value of journalism to its utilization, potentially offering greater rewards for publishers whose work is frequently surfaced by Siri, but with less financial certainty than upfront guaranteed payments. OpenAI, meanwhile, has adopted a different strategy, entering into individual agreements with prominent media organizations such as News Corp and Axel Springer.