Media Briefing: Less clicks, more problems: What Google’s AI Mode means for publishers

This week’s Media Briefing looks at what AI Mode, the latest generative AI search experience Google has rolled out, means for publishers’ search referral traffic.

• Users’ queries in AI Mode are two to three times the length of traditional searches, Google CEO Sundar Pichai said during the company’s annual I/O developer conference on Tuesday. Google thinks this means users will discover more web content. Publishers aren’t convinced.
• Local newspapers’ AI-generated content makes up book titles, News Corp introduces mandatory AI training for journalists, and more.

After months of anxiety and speculation, the rollout publishers feared — Google’s AI Mode in search — has arrived.

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