Google pays independent publishers to test unreleased generative AI platform

Google announced it will start paying independent publishers to test its unreleased generative artificial intelligence (AI) platform.

The program, first reported by Adweek, will give a small number of publishers access to the company’s AI platform in exchange for analytics and feedback.

Publishers are expected to use the tool to produce “a certain amount of content” over a 12-month period, and will receive a monthly fee worth five figures a year. Participants in the program are expected to create and publish three articles per day, one newsletter per week, and one marketing campaign per month, Adweek reports.

A Google representative told the outlet that the company is in the early stages of providing small publishers with AI tools to “help journalists do their jobs.”

“These tools are not intended to, and cannot, replace the critical role of journalists in reporting, writing, and fact-checking stories,” the representative said.

This tool allows publishers to more easily create aggregated content by examining already published content, summarizing it, and publishing it as a new article.

The development of AI technology comes as concerns about its capabilities and adoption in the media industry continue to grow.

Google dismissed “speculation” that the program would republish copyrighted material from other media. Google spokeswoman Meghan Farnsworth said in an emailed statement that the “experimental tools” are designed to work with small local publishers to create content for their sites.

She added that the program aims to “produce quality journalism using factual content from public data sources,” including local government information offices and health authorities.

Farnsworth’s statement continued: “The publisher has full editorial control over the content that ultimately appears on the site.”

Google hopes the program will give journalists the option of using AI to enhance their jobs, rather than replace them, the company said.

Publishers should create a list of external websites that create content that is relevant to their audience. Adweek noted that these external media outlets have not given consent or been informed of their role in the program.

Publishers then deploy AI tools to summarize articles published by any outlet before human editors read them and check for accuracy before publishing them on the site. The publication said publishers do not need to point out that AI generated the content.