VOA科学技术2023--Publishers Worry Over Google’s New AI Search Tool

Publishers Worry Over Google’s New AI Search Tool 

Publishing companies are growing increasingly¹ concerned about generative AI, especially a model developed by Google.

Since May, Google has begun releasing² a new form of search in the United States, India, and Japan powered by generative AI. The product is called Search Generative Experience, or SGE. SGE uses AI to create summaries for some search questions. Google says those summaries appear on the top of the Google search homepage, with links to "dig deeper."

If publishers want to prevent their content from being used by Google's AI to create those summaries, they must use the same tool that would prevent them from appearing in Google search results. That would make it difficult for people using search to find the publishers that choose not to be involved in SGE.

Google says that the AI-generated summaries are put together from many web pages and that the links are designed to be a starting point to learn more. The company describes SGE as an opt-in experiment for users³, who will help develop and improve the product.

To publishers, however, the new search tool is the latest concern in an unusual relationship. Publishers both compete against Google for online advertising⁴ and depend on the company for search traffic.

Four major publishers spoke⁵ to Reuters news agency⁶ recently. The businesses said they are trying to understand their place in a world where AI could control how users find and pay for information. The publishers asked not to be identified because of ongoing⁷ negotiations⁸ with Google.

Publisher concerns relate to a number of issues. They include the issue of web traffic; whether publishers will be credited⁹ as the providers of information that appears in the SGE summaries; and whether those summaries are correct. Most importantly, publishers want to be paid for the content on which Google and other AI companies train their AI tools.

A Google spokesperson said in a statement: "As we bring generative AI into Search, we're continuing to prioritize approaches that send valuable traffic to a wide range of creators, including news publishers, to support a healthy, open web."

On the issue of payments¹⁰, Google said it is developing a better understanding of the business of generative AI applications and getting opinions from publishers and others.

In late September, Google announced a new tool called Google-Extended. It gives publishers the choice to block their content from being used by Google to train its AI models.

Giving publishers the choice to not be used for AI is a "good faith gesture," said Danielle Coffey, president and chief executive¹¹ of the News Media Alliance¹², an industry trade group. "Whether payments will follow is a question mark, and to what extent¹³ there is openness to having a healthier value exchange," Coffey added.

The new tool does not permit publishers to block their content from being used for SGE without disappearing from traditional Google search.

Publishers want evidence that people are using their websites to secure¹⁴ advertisers. Showing up in Google search is important to their business. The design for SGE has pushed the links that appear in traditional search further down the webpage. That might reduce traffic to those links by as much as 40 percent, said an official at one of the publishers.

More worrying is the possibility that people searching the web will avoid clicking any of the links if the SGE passage meets the users' need for information.

Nikhil Lai is an expert with Forrester Research, a company based in Cambridge, Massachusetts. He said SGE is "definitely¹⁵ going to decrease publishers'...traffic and they're going to have to think about a different way to measure the value of that content, if not click through rate."

Even so, he believes publishers will remain trusted because their links will appear in SGE.

Words in This Story

generative AI – n. a type of artificial¹⁶ intelligence technology that can produce different kinds of content

model – n. a particular type or version¹⁷ of a product

summary –n. a restatement of written material that is shorter and contains only the main points

opt-in —n. to choose to do or be involved in something

content – n. the things that are in something; the ideas, facts, or images that are in a book, article, speech, movie, etc.

prioritize – v. to organize (things) so that the most important thing is done or dealt with first

application – n. a computer program that performs a particular task

gesture – n. something said or done to show a particular feeling or attitude

click –n. electronic evidence that a person has looked at a website

1 increasingly   

adv.逐渐地，日益地，逐渐增加地

参考例句：

• Rivers are being increasingly made use of by man. 河流正在日益为人类所利用。
• I find it increasingly difficult to live within my income.我发现靠收入过日子越来越难了。

2 releasing   

v.释放( release的现在分词 )；放开；发布；发行

参考例句：

• Releasing his arm, she laid her hand upon his shoulder. 她放掉他的胳膊，却把手放到了他的肩上。 来自英汉文学 - 双城记
• The drag operation is still terminated by releasing the mouse button. 释放鼠标按键时，拖动操作将立即终止。 来自About Face 3交互设计精髓

3 users   

用户，使用者( user的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The new software will prove a boon to Internet users. 这种新软件将会对互联网用户大有益处。
• Ramps should be provided for wheelchair users. 应该给轮椅使用者提供坡道。

4 advertising   

n.广告业；广告活动 a.广告的；广告业务的

参考例句：

• Can you give me any advice on getting into advertising? 你能指点我如何涉足广告业吗?
• The advertising campaign is aimed primarily at young people. 这个广告宣传运动主要是针对年轻人的。

5 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

6 agency   

n.经办；代理；代理处

参考例句：

• This disease is spread through the agency of insects.这种疾病是通过昆虫媒介传播的。
• He spoke in the person of Xinhua News Agency.他代表新华社讲话。

7 ongoing   

adj.进行中的，前进的

参考例句：

• The problem is ongoing.这个问题尚未解决。
• The issues raised in the report relate directly to Age Concern's ongoing work in this area.报告中提出的问题与“关心老人”组织在这方面正在做的工作有直接的关系。

8 negotiations   

协商( negotiation的名词复数 )； 谈判； 完成（难事）； 通过

参考例句：

• negotiations for a durable peace 为持久和平而进行的谈判
• Negotiations have failed to establish any middle ground. 谈判未能达成任何妥协。

9 credited   

v.记入贷方；信用

参考例句：

• Cook is credited with discovering Hawaii. 人们把发现夏威夷的功劳归于库克。
• The cheetah is generally credited as the world's fastest animal. 猎豹被公认是世界上跑得最快的动物。 来自《简明英汉词典》

10 payments   

n.支付，付款，缴纳，报酬( payment的名词复数 )；付出的[要付出的]款项；报答，报偿

参考例句：

• Welfare payments cease as soon as an individual starts a job. 一旦就业，即停发福利救济。
• The law can compel fathers to make regular payments for their children. 这项法律可强制父亲定期支付子女的费用。

11 executive   

adj.执行的，行政的；n.执行者，行政官，经理

参考例句：

• A good executive usually gets on well with people.一个好的高级管理人员通常与人们相处得很好。
• He is a man of great executive ability.他是个具有极高管理能力的人。

12 alliance   

n.同盟，同盟国，结盟，联姻

参考例句：

• China will not enter into alliance with any big power.中国不同任何大国结盟。
• The new alliance was very much in evidence.新的联盟上星期很引人注目。

13 extent   

n.程度，范围，限度；广度，宽度，大小

参考例句：

• The new race track is nearly six miles in extent. 这条新跑道将近六英里长。
• What's the extent of the damage? 损坏的程度如何?

14 secure   

adj.无虑的，安心的，安全的；adj.牢靠的，稳妥的；vt.固定，获得，使...安全；vi.(海上工作人员)停止工；vi.(船)抛锚，停泊

参考例句：

• He found a secure foothold and pulled himself up.他找到了一个稳固的踏脚处并爬了上去。
• Extra men are needed to secure the camp against attack.需要增加兵力以保护军营免受攻击。

15 definitely   

adv.一定地，肯定地；明确地，确切地

参考例句：

• The team will definitely lose if he doesn't play.如果他不参加比赛，这个队肯定会输。
• I shall definitely be home before six o'clock.6点以前，我一定回家。

16 artificial   

adj.人工的，人造的，人为的；做作的，假装的

参考例句：

• The new dam will form a large artificial lake behind it.新筑的水坝将会在后面形成一个人工湖。
• We don't use any artificial flavourings in our products.我们的产品不使用任何人工调味剂。

17 version   

n.版本；型号；叙述，说法

参考例句：

• His version of the events is pure supposition.他对这件事的说法纯属猜测。
• What is your version of this matter?你对这件事情的看法 怎么样？