Recently, Penske Media Group filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia against Google, a tech giant, accusing it of using its news content to generate artificial intelligence (AI) summaries without authorization. This lawsuit marks the first legal action taken by mainstream publishers in the United States against Google's AI-generated summaries in search results. Penske Media Group includes well-known media outlets such as Rolling Stone, Billboard, and Variety, which attract 120 million online visitors per month.

In the lawsuit, Penske Group pointed out that Google used publishers' articles to generate AI summaries without paying any fees. They believe that if Google had not used the publishers' content, it should have paid the publishers for the legitimate use of their content or for using it to train its own AI system. Penske Group emphasized that Google's actions have not only damaged the publishers' advertising and subscription revenues but also significantly reduced their website traffic. It is expected that the group's affiliated revenue will drop by more than a third from its peak by the end of 2024.

Google responded to this lawsuit, stating that its AI summaries enhance the user's search experience and actually bring traffic to more types of websites. Google spokesperson Jose Castaneda pointed out that AI summaries make the search function more practical and create new opportunities for discovering content. Google will defend itself against these "unfounded accusations."

Previously, online education company Chegg also sued Google, arguing that its AI-generated summaries weakened users' demand for original content and harmed the competitiveness of publishers. The lawsuit by Penske Group reflects the current concerns of the media industry about Google's dominant position, as it holds nearly 90% of the share in the search market, putting publishers at a disadvantage. The News/Media Alliance also expressed concern about this situation, believing that it makes it difficult for publishers to refuse Google's use of their content for generating AI summaries.

This incident not only involves the survival of the media industry but also triggers important discussions about digital copyright and the legality of AI technology, highlighting the increasingly tense relationship between publishers and tech giants.

Key Points:

🌐 Penske Group sues Google, accusing it of using news content to generate AI summaries without permission.

📉 Google's AI summaries have led to a decrease in traffic to Penske Group's websites, affecting their advertising and subscription revenues.

⚖️ This incident has sparked widespread discussions about digital copyright and the legality of AI technology.