AI Is Paying for News, but at What Price?
CNN has announced a multiyear agreement with Google to receive compensation when the search giant uses the network's journalism in its artificial intelligence products. This deal joins a growing list of publishers, including Axios and the Financial Times, participating in Google's News AI program, which now includes more than 400 publications worldwide. While the agreement offers a new revenue…
Key points
- CNN signed a multiyear deal with Google to be paid for using its journalism in AI products.
- Google Search referrals to news sites fell 34% between December 2024 and December 2025.
- Over 400 publications participate in Google's News AI program, which includes attribution and links.
The move comes as publishers face significant challenges from declining search traffic. Chartbeat data shows that pageviews referred by Google Search fell 34% between December 2024 and December 2025. Smaller sites lost 60% of their search traffic over two years, compared to 22% for larger sites. Although AI-generated answers are a factor, they are not the sole cause of these declines. AI chatbots currently account for less than 1% of total pageviews, suggesting that while licensing deals may help offset some revenue loss, they do not guarantee that readers will continue to visit news websites directly.
The broader context includes ongoing tensions between publishers and tech companies over AI usage rights. The News/Media Alliance recently challenged Meta's commercial terms, arguing they allowed AI training without permission, a claim Meta disputed before removing the contested wording. Additionally, over 80 publishers have joined a coalition to develop standards for tracking and controlling how AI companies use their work.
The story so far
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AI Is Paying for News, but at What Price?
thewrap.com · 18 October 2026
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This text was published by thewrap.com and written by A.J. Katz. It is reproduced here with attribution so you can read it in full; the rights remain with the publisher. Read it at the source ↗
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