Google unveiled a new tool that produces AI-generated articles, and in a bid to test its efficacy, it’s compensating small news outlets to publish them, as reported by Adweek.
Adweek purportedly gained access to internal documents outlining Google’s beta program, which grants specific small news organizations access to the tool.
Under the agreement, these publications are required to utilize Google’s AI program to release a minimum of three articles daily, one newsletter weekly, and one marketing campaign monthly for a year. In return, they receive a monthly stipend, totaling a five-figure sum over 12 months. The initiative reportedly falls under the Google News Initiative (GNI), established in 2018 to equip news outlets with technological support.
According to Adweek, GNI started accepting applications in October, selected participating publications in January, and officially initiated the beta program in February.
Reportedly, publishers are tasked with compiling a list of websites and outlets relevant to their content. When these sites publish new articles, they appear on a dashboard, enabling participating publishers to choose articles for Google’s AI to summarize in a news style.
A human editor subsequently reviews and publishes the summarized story, although it might not be explicitly labeled as AI-generated, notes Adweek.
This purported program raises concerns within the journalism industry, where fears of AI replacing jobs already exist. It also presents a predicament for the original content providers, as their material appears to be used without consent.