The ongoing dispute between big tech and news publishers is likely to enter a new phase, where artificial intelligence-based Google Search could fundamentally change how news is consumed and monetised. As AI-led search tools offer instant summaries of news articles, publishers have a huge concerning question: Will readers stop visiting original content sites altogether and face huge revenue losses?
Timesnownews.com spoke with experts to understand how AI-powered search is fundamentally altering the economic foundations of news publishing.
Prabhu Ram, VP-Industry Research Group at CMR, said, “AI-powered search is fundamentally altering the traffic dynamics that have sustained digital news publishers, shifting the model from content discovery to direct in-platform consumption.”
He believes that the bigger challenge lies with how the revenue is distributed. “The core challenge is economic: platforms capture greater engagement while publishers risk losing monetisation opportunities,” he added.
Moreover, at the same time, India’s legal and regulatory frameworks are yet to fully address the rise of generative AI.
Legal experts have highlighted how publishers may increasingly challenge AI summaries as forms of “content substitution” rather than simple content discovery.
Tech lawyer and AI governance expert Shweta Bansalsaid publishers could argue that AI-generated answers effectively replace the need for readers to access original articles.
Bansal explained that if an AI summary captures the essence and core informational value of a report, publishers may argue it undermines the original work commercially. She asserted, “An AI summary that replaces the need to click through and read the original article can be framed as a substitute rather than mere discovery, especially if it reproduces enough protected expression or captures the article’s core value.”
Cyber law expert and Supreme Court advocate Pavan Duggaldescribed AI summaries as a major reason why news publishers may suffer. “The ultimate idea is that you just read the summary, you do not go to the original article,” Duggal said.
According to Duggal, this directly impacts the revenue models that sustain journalism.
Source: India Latest News, Breaking News Today, Top News Headlines | Times Now
