Google has initiated a new pilot program to test AI-generated article summaries on the Google News pages of select publications, as revealed by the search giant on Wednesday.
Among the news publishers taking part in this pilot are Der Spiegel, El País, Folha, Infobae, Kompas, The Guardian, The Times of India, The Washington Examiner, and The Washington Post, to name a few.
Google stated in a blog post that this new commercial partnership aims to “investigate how AI can foster greater audience engagement.” Through this AI pilot, Google intends to collaborate with publishers on developing new functionalities within Google News.
Google asserts that integrating AI-driven article overviews will provide users with additional context prior to clicking on an article. Although AI-generated summaries might result in a reduction of clicks on news content, publishers involved in this commercial pilot will receive direct compensation from Google, potentially offsetting any decline in website traffic.
These AI-enhanced article summaries will be exclusively displayed on the Google News pages of the participating publications, and not elsewhere within Google News or Google Search.
This initiative marks another instance of Google incorporating AI summaries for news content. Earlier in July, the company implemented AI summaries within Discover, Google’s primary news feed within its search application. This alteration meant users no longer encountered a single headline from a major publication in the feed; instead, they were presented with the logos of several news publishers in the upper-left, followed by an AI-created summary referencing those sources
As part of this new pilot program, Google is also exploring audio briefings, catering to individuals who prefer consuming news aurally instead of reading it.
Google states that these functionalities will feature prominent attribution and direct links to the articles.
Furthermore, Google is collaborating with entities like Estadão, Antara, Yonhap, and The Associated Press to integrate real-time data and improve the outcomes within the Gemini app.
In its blog post, Google commented, “As methods of information consumption change, we will persist in enhancing our products for global users and incorporating feedback from ecosystem stakeholders.” They added, “This work involves collaboration with websites and creators of all scales, encompassing significant news publishers and nascent and influential voices alike.”
Concurrently with Google’s announcement on Wednesday, the company disclosed the global rollout of its “Preferred Sources” feature, following its initial launch in the U.S. and India in August. This functionality enables users to designate their preferred news websites and blogs for display in the Top Stories section of Google search results.
This feature will become accessible to English-speaking users worldwide in the near future, with Google planning to extend its availability to all supported languages by early next year.
Additionally, Google will soon emphasize links from news subscriptions, presenting them within a dedicated carousel in the Gemini app in the weeks ahead, with AI Overviews and AI Mode to be introduced subsequently.
Although these features simplify access to news from chosen sources for users, they simultaneously carry the risk of creating an ideological echo chamber, thereby restricting exposure to diverse viewpoints.
Furthermore, Google revealed an increase in inline links within AI Mode. The company is also implementing “contextual introductions” for embedded links, providing concise explanations for their potential utility.