Google is paying some publishers less than 0.1% of their ad revenue for AI answers

Google is paying about 100 publishers for content that contributes to AI-generated answers in Search, Ars Technica reported, citing The Information.

The payments are part of Google's AI Contribution Pilot and are triggered when a publisher's content makes a significant contribution to a Gemini-generated response, including in AI Overviews. Google had previously resisted directly compensating publishers for content used in Search, arguing that websites benefited from the traffic it sent them.

Several small and midsize publishers told The Information that the payments amount to about 0.1% of their advertising revenue. Some smaller sites received less than $1,000 over several months, while one publisher that joined the program more recently has earned between $50,000 and $60,000, still a relatively small share of its revenue.

The payouts vary considerably. One early participant expects to receive more than $1 million over a year, representing a meaningful share of its revenue. Several large publishers, meanwhile, have reportedly declined to participate because they considered the payments too low and are holding out for better terms from Google.

Participants said niche topics with smaller but highly engaged audiences, including anime and gaming, tend to generate the most money. Publishers have also complained that payments are difficult to track through Search Console and that Google does not explain exactly what qualifies as a significant contribution to an AI answer.

The program comes as Google faces growing pressure over its use of publisher content for AI. Penske Media, which owns Variety and Rolling Stone, has sued the company over declining search traffic, arguing that tying the use of content for AI to conventional search indexing is unfair. In the UK, Google has been required to give publishers a way to opt out of AI search features without losing visibility in traditional results, while the European Commission is investigating whether the company fairly compensates publishers for content used in AI-generated answers.