People CEO Neil Vogel has accused Google of content theft to train its AI models. Vogel claims Google's AI crawler cannot be blocked without also blocking the web crawler, effectively forcing publishers to allow Google to use their content.
Vogel contrasts Google's approach with other AI firms like OpenAI, who are negotiating content licensing deals. He argues Google's AI-generated responses bypass traditional search results, depriving publishers of crucial traffic and revenue. This echoes concerns from the early 2000s when publishers accused Google of copyright infringement.
Publishers are now exploring options such as blocking AI crawlers and negotiating content agreements with AI providers. Some suggest a royalty system, similar to YouTube's revenue-sharing model, could incentivise content creation.
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