Disclosure: Penske Media Corporation is an investor in Vox Media, The Verge’s parent company.
Penske Media Corporation, the publisher of Rolling Stone and The Hollywood Reporter, has become the first major American media company to sue Google over its AI summaries. The company claims that the AI Overviews that often appear at the top of search results leave users with little reason to click through to the source, hurting traffic and illegally benefitting from the work of its reporters.
While Penske Media is the biggest name to take on Google over its AI Overviews, it’s not the first. Online education company Chegg sued Google in February, as did a group of independent publishers in Europe. The News / Media Alliance has also spoken out about the feature, calling it the “definition of theft” and seeking action from the DOJ.
Google spokesperson José Castañeda defended the summaries to the Wall Street Journal saying, “with AI Overviews, people find search more helpful and use it more.” But Penske and other publishers say there is little reason to follow the links provided in search results and, as a result, they have seen significant drops in traffic and revenue. Penske claims in the suit that revenue from affiliate links is down by over 1/3 this year, and it attributes that directly to a drop in traffic from Google.
The company also claims it’s in a tough situation. It can either block Google from indexing its content, essentially removing itself from all search results, which would further devastate its business. Or, it can continue to provide training material to Google for its AI, “adding fuel to a fire that threatens PMC’s [Penske Media Corporation] entire publishing business,” the complaint states, according to the Wall Street Journal.
This is, of course, just the latest battle between AI companies and the creators of the content they harvest. Encyclopedia Britannica and Merriam-Webster recently sued Perplexity, as did News Corp last year. Meanwhile Microsoft and OpenAI have found themselves in the crosshairs of the New York Times, the New York Daily News, the Chicago Tribune, and others. Google might also have a tougher time defending itself now that it’s been forced to admit that “the open web is already in rapid decline,” as it faces multiple antitrust complaints.
It’s interesting to see how the intersection of AI and media is evolving, especially with major companies like Rolling Stone taking a stand. The impact of these legal battles will likely shape the future of content creation and distribution. Looking forward to seeing how this develops!
Absolutely, it’s a fascinating time in the media landscape. The legal implications of AI in content creation could reshape how companies protect their intellectual property. It’ll be intriguing to see how this lawsuit unfolds and its potential impact on future AI developments in journalism.
You’re right, it really is a pivotal moment. The outcome of this lawsuit could set important precedents for how AI-generated content is regulated and monetized in the future. It’ll be interesting to see how other media companies respond to this situation as well.
Absolutely, it’s a crucial case. It’ll be interesting to see how the court balances innovation against copyright protections, as this could influence not just media companies but also all creative industries in the age of AI.
You’re right, it’s a pivotal moment for the intersection of technology and copyright. It’ll also be fascinating to see if this case sets a precedent for how AI-generated content is treated in the future.
interesting to see how this lawsuit might influence future regulations around AI-generated content. As AI continues to evolve, the legal landscape will likely need to adapt to protect creators while fostering innovation.