Brodbeck states:
“If you as a news publisher cannot out-compete a brief AI-written summary, I think you have a big problem that’s not just being caused by Google and AI.”
Marat Gaziev of IGN advocated for deeper symbiosis between Google and reputable information providers to uphold accuracy standards.
Gaziev states:
“RAG requires a deep and symbiotic relationship with content publishers and the media industry to ensure that only credible sources are utilized during retrieval and augmentation.”
YESEO founder Ryan Restivo warned about potential carbon impacts from the heavy computing power required at scale.
Restivo states:
“The biggest problem, in my opinion, is the competition entering this space…The amount of compute needed to produce these at scale is hurting our environment.”
LA Times’ Seth Liss speculated Google may eventually prioritize generating answers over linking to external sites.
Liss states:
“If Google decides its best way forward is to keep all of those readers on its own site, there will be a lot of sites that have to figure out other ways to find new audiences.”
Measured Optimism
While most publishers interviewed by Nieman Journalism Lab expressed reservations, some took a more optimistic view.
The consensus is that high-quality, in-depth journalism will draw readers to visit publisher websites for full context beyond a brief AI summary.
There’s also hope that Google will find mutually beneficial ways to incorporate publisher content without usurping it entirely.
The Path Forward
As the search evolves, publishers are exploring strategies to adapt – from re-investing in email newsletters and mobile apps to developing AI-focused SEO best practices.
The debate highlights a challenge all publishers share – how to remain discoverable and generate traffic/revenue when search engines can directly answer queries themselves.
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