Google Tests Paying Publishers for AI-Generated Answer Contributions

Google is testing a program that pays publishers when their content contributes to an AI-generated answer in its search results. The pilot, called the AI contribution pilot, runs inside Google Search Console and allows invited publishers to accept terms and see what they've earned.

The pilot works by tracking how much a publisher's page contributes to a response in the Gemini app or AI Overviews. According to Google's help documentation, publishers earn money when their pages 'contribute significantly' to a response. The company hasn't revealed how it decides what counts as a significant contribution or how it calculates a payout.

At least dozens of publishers have been approached by Google for the pilot, including sites outside news. Small and mid-sized publishers seem more interested than large ones, with one executive describing early earnings as small compared to ad revenue.

The trade-off for publishers is that Google already pays for some content through licensing deals, such as its deal with Reddit worth around $60 million a year. The pilot arrives at a time when Google is under pressure from publishers who argue it uses its search monopoly to take content without paying for it.