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A growing number of major news organizations are accusing Google of crossing the line with its new AI Mode. What was once a slow drip of concern has erupted into open condemnation, with the News/Media Alliance calling it nothing short of “the definition of theft.”
News outlets claim Google’s new AI Mode is ‘theft’ of their content. Indeed, Google’s algorithms feed off publisher content – and ranking algorithms revealed by DOJ papers show how heavily Google’s stack relies on such signals without guaranteed traffic in return.
- Media Alliance issues statement on Google AI Mode:“Links were the last redeeming quality of search that gave publishers traffic and revenue. Now Google just takes content by force and uses it with no return, the definition of theft. The DOJ remedies must address this to prevent continued domination of the internet by one company.”
Here’s what’s happening:
- The Verge reports that AI Mode uses publisher content “by force,” without proper permission or compensation.
- Mashable and Gadgets360 echo those claims, citing publisher groups that say this undermines the entire open web model.
- Parth Shah’s SEO blog calls the feature “a disaster for publishers,” suggesting it could wipe out revenue streams for smaller sites in particular.
- Google’s AI Search Seen as ‘Beginning of the End’ for Reddit, Warns Wells Fargo Analyst
- Cloudflare CEO warns content creators to lock up their work amid AI boom
- US DOJ probing Google over Character.AI deal
- MSN and MoneyControl have gone further, using language like “theft” and “content scraping at scale” to describe what Google is doing.
No Real Opt-Out
9to5Google reported that while Google has floated the idea of opt-out controls for publishers, there’s no meaningful framework yet in place. Until then, content continues to be ingested and repurposed for AI Overviews.
A Chilling Contrast: Layoffs While Calling in Retirees
In a related development, Sergey Brin has reappeared at Google HQ, urging retired computer scientists to return and join the AI push. That request comes after tens of thousands of programmers and software engineers have been laid off across the tech sector over the past two years – including many from Alphabet itself.
The irony wasn’t lost on observers: Google is calling back old talent while continuing to automate jobs and devalue the work of the current generation of creators and developers.
For now, publishers are speaking up. Whether Google listens – or simply rewrites the rules again – remains to be seen.
As the CEO and founder of Pubcon Inc., Brett Tabke has been instrumental in shaping the landscape of online marketing and search engine optimization. His journey in the computer industry has spanned over three decades and has made him a pioneering force behind digital evolution. Full Bio
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