Google has launched a pilot programme paying publishers for their content used in its AI-powered search features, according to reports. This initiative matters because Google faces significant scrutiny, legal challenges, and regulatory pressure over how its AI features affect publisher web traffic and business models.

The pilot includes approximately 100 publishers and compensates them based on contributions to AI Overviews, AI Mode in Search, and Gemini. Participating publishers have earned substantial sums, with one early participant generating over $1 million annually and a later joinee earning $50,000 to $60,000. The scheme comes as the UK has mandated opt-out options for publishers and the EU investigates the impact on web traffic, recently ordering changes to Google's search engine.