"When Penske Media, the owner of Rolling Stone, Billboard, and Variety, sues Google, people pay attention. Their lawsuit argues that Google's "AI Overviews" are cannibalizing traffic by summarizing journalism at the top of search results, so readers no longer click through to the actual articles. If that's happening to a conglomerate that reaches over 120 million visitors a month, imagine what it's doing - or will soon do - to Black-owned websites that depend on every single visitor to stay alive."
"Google dominates search with nearly 90% of the U.S. market. Its AI summaries are now the first thing users see. That means a Black website might break a powerful story - on politics, culture, or community - only for Google's AI to repackage the information in two neat sentences. Readers get the gist without ever clicking. And clicks are everything."
"For Penske, this is a serious revenue hit: the lawsuit claims affiliate traffic is down by a third, with 20% of its search results already showing AI Overviews. But Penske has lawyers, investors, and brand recognition. Black-owned sites like The Grio, Blavity, Okayplayer, AfroTech, and countless local newsrooms don't have that cushion. A drop in traffic could mean layoffs, reduced coverage, or shutting down entirely."
Google controls nearly 90% of U.S. search and places AI Overviews at the top of results. AI summaries condense full reporting into brief snippets that can satisfy readers without a click. Major publisher Penske reports affiliate traffic down a third and 20% of its search results showing AI Overviews. Black-owned outlets lack legal and financial cushions and depend on each visitor and affiliate revenue. Historic underfunding and reliance on commerce traffic make traffic loss existential. AI training on mainstream sources risks erasing Black perspectives and automating appropriation of Black culture and language.
Read at BET
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]