Google pays only about 100 publishers for AI answer content, most earn little
Google's payment program for content used in AI answers covers roughly 100 publishers with opaque pricing, and the standoff awaits the EU probe.
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According to The Information, as relayed by The Decoder on September 30, Google currently pays only about 100 digital publishers for content used in AI Overviews, AI Mode, and Gemini answers.
Payments vary widely: small sites received under $1,000 over several months, some small and midsize sites got less than 0.1 percent of their ad revenue, one publisher received $50,000 to $60,000 over a few months, and another earns more than $1 million a year. Some participants say they do not know how Google calculates the amounts, which can change month to month without explanation.
Some larger publishers are refusing to join to push for higher rates, even as their traffic falls. The European Commission has been running an antitrust investigation since December 2025 into whether Google uses publisher content without adequate payment.