Google pays publishers for AI, and nobody knows the rules

Has it been a good week for publishers? Two stories broke at the end of September 2026, and together they show how unsettled the economics of AI and content still are.

Google is quietly paying around 100 publishers for AI

The Information reported that Google is paying publishers for the use of their content in its AI features through an “AI contribution pilot”. Around 100 publishers are in the programme.

The amounts vary wildly. One publisher that joined early is reportedly on track to earn more than $1 million a year. Several small and mid-sized publishers say their payments equal roughly one-tenth of one percent of their advertising revenue, and one reported earning less than $1,000 over several months. Google hasn’t published a formula or eligibility criteria. The pattern so far suggests niche, high-engagement sites do better than broader ones.

Publishers want AI crawlers to identify themselves

In the same week, around 300 media executives, organised by the News/Media Alliance, went to Washington to lobby Congress for the Stealth Bot Prohibition Act. The bill would force AI crawlers to identify themselves and their purpose instead of disguising themselves as human visitors to avoid being blocked.

You can see why. Automated traffic now makes up the majority of web requests: Cloudflare Radar put automated requests at 57.5% of HTML web traffic in June 2026. If publishers can’t see which bots are taking their content, they can’t block them, charge them or negotiate licensing deals with the companies behind them.

The parallels with social media are hard to ignore

I can’t help thinking about the rise of social media. Publishers had to choose between embracing the platforms, and risking lost traffic and advertising revenue, or holding back and accepting much less reach. Social media won that battle, and many publishers rebuilt their newsrooms around the Facebook feed.

AI looks like a similar moment, with higher stakes. The publishing industry needs all the support it can get, and a voluntary payment pilot with undisclosed terms doesn’t look like enough to satisfy it.

There is no rulebook for how anyone gets credited by AI

Friends and colleagues in publishing are far better placed than I am to judge the deals. But the wider point affects every brand, not just media owners.

If Google can’t yet explain why one site earns seven figures and a similar one earns four, and legislators are still arguing about whether an AI crawler even has to admit it’s there, there is no agreed system for how anyone gets credited, measured or paid for feeding these systems.

For B2B brands, that uncertainty is a reason to focus on what you can control: being described accurately and consistently, earning credible third-party coverage, and knowing which AI crawlers visit your own site and what they read. If anyone has the answer to the bigger question, I’d love to hear it.

Nick Clark is the founder of Datum Point, a B2B consultancy for AI visibility and presence. He has spent 25 years in B2B, technology and corporate comms and marketing, including as CEO of Nelson Bostock Group and Publitek. First published on LinkedIn on 2 October 2026. Follow Nick on LinkedIn.