4 Sources
[1]
AI search pushing an already weakened media ecosystem to the brink
Generative artificial intelligence assistants like ChatGPT are cutting into traditional online search traffic, depriving news sites of visitors and impacting the advertising revenue they desperately need, in a crushing blow to an industry already fighting for survival. "The next three or four years will be incredibly challenging for publishers everywhere. No one is immune from the AI summaries storm gathering on the horizon," warned Matt Karolian, vice president of research and development at Boston Globe Media. "Publishers need to build their own shelters or risk being swept away." While data remains limited, a recent Pew Research Center study reveals that AI-generated summaries now appearing regularly in Google searches discourage users from clicking through to source articles. When AI summaries are present, users click on suggested links half as often compared to traditional searches. This represents a devastating loss of visitors for online media sites that depend on traffic for both advertising revenue and subscription conversions. According to Northeastern University professor John Wihbey, these trends "will accelerate, and pretty soon we will have an entirely different web." The dominance of tech giants like Google and Meta had already slashed online media advertising revenue, forcing publishers to pivot toward paid subscriptions. But Wihbey noted that subscriptions also depend on traffic, and paying subscribers alone aren't sufficient to support major media organizations. Limited lifelines The Boston Globe group has begun seeing subscribers sign up through ChatGPT, offering a new touchpoint with potential readers, Karolian said. However, "these remain incredibly modest compared to other platforms, including even smaller search engines." Other AI-powered tools like Perplexity are generating even fewer new subscriptions, he added. To survive what many see as an inevitable shift, media companies are increasingly adopting GEO (Generative Engine Optimization) -- a technique that replaces traditional SEO (Search Engine Optimization). This involves providing AI models with clearly labeled content, good structure, comprehensible text, and strong presence on social networks and forums like Reddit that get crawled by AI companies. But a fundamental question remains: "Should you allow OpenAI crawlers to basically crawl your website and your content?" asks Thomas Peham, CEO of optimization startup OtterlyAI. Burned by aggressive data collection from major AI companies, many news publishers have chosen to fight back by blocking AI crawlers from accessing their content. "We just need to ensure that companies using our content are paying fair market value," argued Danielle Coffey, who heads the News/Media Alliance trade organization. Some progress has been made on this front. Licensing agreements have emerged between major players, such as the New York Times and Amazon, Google and Associated Press, and Mistral and Agence France-Presse, among others. But the issue is far from resolved, as several major legal battles are underway, most notably the New York Times' blockbuster lawsuit against OpenAI and Microsoft. Let them crawl Publishers face a dilemma: blocking AI crawlers protects their content but reduces exposure to potential new readers. Faced with this challenge, "media leaders are increasingly choosing to reopen access," Peham observed. Yet even with open access, success isn't guaranteed. According to OtterlyAI data, media outlets represent just 29% of citations offered by ChatGPT, trailing corporate websites at 36%. And while Google search has traditionally privileged sources recognized as reliable, "we don't see this with ChatGPT," Peham noted. The stakes extend beyond business models. According to the Reuters Institute's 2025 Digital News Report, about 15% of people under 25 now use generative AI to get their news. Given ongoing questions about AI sourcing and reliability, this trend risks confusing readers about information origins and credibility -- much like social media did before it. "At some point, someone has to do the reporting," Karolian said. "Without original journalism, none of these AI platforms would have anything to summarize." Perhaps with this in mind, Google is already developing partnerships with news organizations to feed its generative AI features, suggesting potential paths forward. "I think the platforms will realize how much they need the press," predicted Wihbey -- though whether that realization comes soon enough to save struggling newsrooms remains an open question.
[2]
AI search pushing an already weakened media ecosystem to the brink
New York (AFP) - Generative artificial intelligence assistants like ChatGPT are cutting into traditional online search traffic, depriving news sites of visitors and impacting the advertising revenue they desperately need, in a crushing blow to an industry already fighting for survival. "The next three or four years will be incredibly challenging for publishers everywhere. No one is immune from the AI summaries storm gathering on the horizon," warned Matt Karolian, vice president of research and development at Boston Globe Media. "Publishers need to build their own shelters or risk being swept away." While data remains limited, a recent Pew Research Center study reveals that AI-generated summaries now appearing regularly in Google searches discourage users from clicking through to source articles. When AI summaries are present, users click on suggested links half as often compared to traditional searches. This represents a devastating loss of visitors for online media sites that depend on traffic for both advertising revenue and subscription conversions. According to Northeastern University professor John Wihbey, these trends "will accelerate, and pretty soon we will have an entirely different web." The dominance of tech giants like Google and Meta had already slashed online media advertising revenue, forcing publishers to pivot toward paid subscriptions. But Wihbey noted that subscriptions also depend on traffic, and paying subscribers alone aren't sufficient to support major media organizations. Limited lifelines The Boston Globe group has begun seeing subscribers sign up through ChatGPT, offering a new touchpoint with potential readers, Karolian said. However, "these remain incredibly modest compared to other platforms, including even smaller search engines." Other AI-powered tools like Perplexity are generating even fewer new subscriptions, he added. To survive what many see as an inevitable shift, media companies are increasingly adopting GEO (Generative Engine Optimization) -- a technique that replaces traditional SEO (Search Engine Optimization). This involves providing AI models with clearly labeled content, good structure, comprehensible text, and strong presence on social networks and forums like Reddit that get crawled by AI companies. But a fundamental question remains: "Should you allow OpenAI crawlers to basically crawl your website and your content?" asks Thomas Peham, CEO of optimization startup OtterlyAI. Burned by aggressive data collection from major AI companies, many news publishers have chosen to fight back by blocking AI crawlers from accessing their content. "We just need to ensure that companies using our content are paying fair market value," argued Danielle Coffey, who heads the News/Media Alliance trade organization. Some progress has been made on this front. Licensing agreements have emerged between major players, such as the New York Times and Amazon, Google and Associated Press, and Mistral and Agence France-Presse, among others. But the issue is far from resolved, as several major legal battles are underway, most notably the New York Times' blockbuster lawsuit against OpenAI and Microsoft. Let them crawl Publishers face a dilemma: blocking AI crawlers protects their content but reduces exposure to potential new readers. Faced with this challenge, "media leaders are increasingly choosing to reopen access," Peham observed. Yet even with open access, success isn't guaranteed. According to OtterlyAI data, media outlets represent just 29 percent of citations offered by ChatGPT, trailing corporate websites at 36 percent. And while Google search has traditionally privileged sources recognized as reliable, "we don't see this with ChatGPT," Peham noted. The stakes extend beyond business models. According to the Reuters Institute's 2025 Digital News Report, about 15 percent of people under 25 now use generative AI to get their news. Given ongoing questions about AI sourcing and reliability, this trend risks confusing readers about information origins and credibility -- much like social media did before it. "At some point, someone has to do the reporting," Karolian said. "Without original journalism, none of these AI platforms would have anything to summarize." Perhaps with this in mind, Google is already developing partnerships with news organizations to feed its generative AI features, suggesting potential paths forward. "I think the platforms will realize how much they need the press," predicted Wihbey -- though whether that realization comes soon enough to save struggling newsrooms remains an open question.
[3]
AI search pushing an already weakened media ecosystem to the brink - The Economic Times
Generative AI tools like ChatGPT are reducing traffic to news websites by providing direct summaries, threatening media revenue models. As publishers block AI crawlers or adapt with Generative Engine Optimisation, the dilemma remains: protect content or risk obscurity. Legal battles and partnerships may shape the industry's uncertain future.Generative artificial intelligence assistants like ChatGPT are cutting into traditional online search traffic, depriving news sites of visitors and impacting the advertising revenue they desperately need, in a crushing blow to an industry already fighting for survival. "The next three or four years will be incredibly challenging for publishers everywhere. No one is immune from the AI summaries storm gathering on the horizon," warned Matt Karolian, vice president of research and development at Boston Globe Media. "Publishers need to build their own shelters or risk being swept away." While data remains limited, a recent Pew Research Center study reveals that AI-generated summaries now appearing regularly in Google searches discourage users from clicking through to source articles. When AI summaries are present, users click on suggested links half as often compared to traditional searches. This represents a devastating loss of visitors for online media sites that depend on traffic for both advertising revenue and subscription conversions. According to Northeastern University professor John Wihbey, these trends "will accelerate, and pretty soon we will have an entirely different web." The dominance of tech giants like Google and Meta had already slashed online media advertising revenue, forcing publishers to pivot toward paid subscriptions. But Wihbey noted that subscriptions also depend on traffic, and paying subscribers alone aren't sufficient to support major media organizations. Limited lifelines The Boston Globe group has begun seeing subscribers sign up through ChatGPT, offering a new touchpoint with potential readers, Karolian said. However, "these remain incredibly modest compared to other platforms, including even smaller search engines." Other AI-powered tools like Perplexity are generating even fewer new subscriptions, he added. To survive what many see as an inevitable shift, media companies are increasingly adopting GEO (Generative Engine Optimization) -- a technique that replaces traditional SEO (Search Engine Optimization). This involves providing AI models with clearly labeled content, good structure, comprehensible text, and strong presence on social networks and forums like Reddit that get crawled by AI companies. But a fundamental question remains: "Should you allow OpenAI crawlers to basically crawl your website and your content?" asks Thomas Peham, CEO of optimization startup OtterlyAI. Burned by aggressive data collection from major AI companies, many news publishers have chosen to fight back by blocking AI crawlers from accessing their content. "We just need to ensure that companies using our content are paying fair market value," argued Danielle Coffey, who heads the News/Media Alliance trade organization. Some progress has been made on this front. Licensing agreements have emerged between major players, such as the New York Times and Amazon, Google and Associated Press, and Mistral and Agence France-Presse, among others. But the issue is far from resolved, as several major legal battles are underway, most notably the New York Times' blockbuster lawsuit against OpenAI and Microsoft. Let them crawl Publishers face a dilemma: blocking AI crawlers protects their content but reduces exposure to potential new readers. Faced with this challenge, "media leaders are increasingly choosing to reopen access," Peham observed. Yet even with open access, success isn't guaranteed. According to OtterlyAI data, media outlets represent just 29 percent of citations offered by ChatGPT, trailing corporate websites at 36 percent. And while Google search has traditionally privileged sources recognized as reliable, "we don't see this with ChatGPT," Peham noted. The stakes extend beyond business models. According to the Reuters Institute's 2025 Digital News Report, about 15 percent of people under 25 now use generative AI to get their news. Given ongoing questions about AI sourcing and reliability, this trend risks confusing readers about information origins and credibility -- much like social media did before it. "At some point, someone has to do the reporting," Karolian said. "Without original journalism, none of these AI platforms would have anything to summarize." Perhaps with this in mind, Google is already developing partnerships with news organizations to feed its generative AI features, suggesting potential paths forward. "I think the platforms will realize how much they need the press," predicted Wihbey -- though whether that realization comes soon enough to save struggling newsrooms remains an open question.
[4]
AI search pushing an already weakened media ecosystem to the brink
Generative artificial intelligence assistants like ChatGPT are cutting into traditional online search traffic, depriving news sites of visitors and impacting the advertising revenue they desperately need, in a crushing blow to an industry already fighting for survival. "The next three or four years will be incredibly challenging for publishers everywhere. No one is immune from the AI summaries storm gathering on the horizon," warned Matt Karolian, vice president of research and development at Boston Globe Media. "Publishers need to build their own shelters or risk being swept away."
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Generative AI tools like ChatGPT are reducing traffic to news websites by providing direct summaries, threatening media revenue models and forcing publishers to adapt or risk obsolescence.
Generative artificial intelligence (AI) assistants like ChatGPT are significantly impacting the media industry by reducing traffic to news websites. A recent Pew Research Center study reveals that when AI-generated summaries appear in Google searches, users are 50% less likely to click through to source articles 1. This trend represents a devastating loss of visitors for online media sites that depend on traffic for both advertising revenue and subscription conversions.
Source: Tech Xplore
Matt Karolian, vice president of research and development at Boston Globe Media, warns that "the next three or four years will be incredibly challenging for publishers everywhere" 2. The media industry, already weakened by the dominance of tech giants like Google and Meta, now faces an even greater threat from AI-powered search tools.
To survive this shift, media companies are increasingly adopting Generative Engine Optimization (GEO), a technique that replaces traditional Search Engine Optimization (SEO) 3. GEO involves providing AI models with clearly labeled content, good structure, and comprehensible text, as well as maintaining a strong presence on social networks and forums that are crawled by AI companies.
Source: Economic Times
Publishers face a critical decision regarding AI crawlers. Thomas Peham, CEO of optimization startup OtterlyAI, poses the question: "Should you allow OpenAI crawlers to basically crawl your website and your content?" 1 While some publishers have chosen to block AI crawlers to protect their content, others are reopening access to avoid obscurity.
The issue of fair compensation for content use remains contentious. Danielle Coffey, head of the News/Media Alliance trade organization, argues that "companies using our content are paying fair market value" 2. Several licensing agreements have emerged between major players, such as the New York Times and Amazon, Google and Associated Press, and Mistral and Agence France-Presse. However, legal battles, including the New York Times' lawsuit against OpenAI and Microsoft, continue to shape the landscape.
The Reuters Institute's 2025 Digital News Report indicates that about 15% of people under 25 now use generative AI to get their news 4. This trend raises concerns about information credibility and the future of original reporting. As Karolian points out, "Without original journalism, none of these AI platforms would have anything to summarize."
Source: The Japan Times
While the immediate future looks challenging for the media industry, some experts believe that AI platforms will eventually recognize their dependence on quality journalism. John Wihbey, a professor at Northeastern University, predicts that "the platforms will realize how much they need the press" 1. Google's development of partnerships with news organizations to feed its generative AI features suggests potential paths forward, but whether this realization comes soon enough to save struggling newsrooms remains an open question.
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