Google's News AI pilot expands to 400+ publications, adding CNN, FT, Axios and Forbes
Google said more than 400 publications worldwide now take part in its News AI pilot, with new partners including CNN, the Financial Times, Axios and Forbes. Launched last December, the program pays publishers to license content used to test experimental AI features in Google News, such as AI-generated "story previews" and summaries on a publisher's page, plus an AI audio briefing in the Google News app; Google labels the copy as AI-generated and warns it may include mistakes. This round also brought in US local outlets such as the Post and Courier, Oil City News, Shaw Media and the Texas Tribune. Google declined to share deal terms and said the pilot does not pay based on how much content contributes to an AI answer, a model it says belongs to a separate program for AI Overviews, AI Mode and Gemini.
Google spokesperson Brianna Puccini Duff said people's information consumption habits are changing and the company wants publishers of all sizes, local newsrooms included, to navigate those shifts.
More than 400 publications worldwide now take part in Google’s News AI pilot, the company said on Thursday. The programme pays publishers to license content for experimental AI features in Google News. Its newest partners include Axios, CNN, the Financial Times and Forbes.
“Through this licensing program, we pay participating news publications for the delivery and use of enhanced content to develop new AI features.” Google, in a blog post
Local US publishers have joined too. They include the Post and Courier in Charleston, the Texas Tribune, Oil City News in Wyoming and the newspaper chain Shaw Media. The pilot launched last December with partners including The Washington Post and The Washington Examiner.
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