Google has started compensating website editors for their content used in AI Overviews, which are the summaries that appear at the top of its search results. These summaries are generated using content from various websites. While this compensation may seem beneficial, it raises concerns because it can reduce the traffic to the original websites. When users rely on AI-generated summaries instead of visiting the actual websites, these sites lose advertising revenue, which is a significant source of income for many publishers. At the end of 2025, the European Commission launched an investigation into Google, alleging that the company is unfairly influencing competition by imposing restrictive conditions on editors and content creators. This, in turn, puts smaller AI developers at a disadvantage. In response to regulatory pressure, Google introduced a feature this summer that allows editors to block the use of their articles for training the company's AI models. However, this feature does not prevent the indexing of these articles for traditional search results. The creation of AI Overviews relies on content from websites, and Google continues to depend on these sources. According to the site The Information, Google has launched a pilot program that pays around 100 editors for their contributions. The payment amounts vary based on how much their content contributes to AI-generated answers in search results, as well as in the AI mode and the Gemini chatbot. Some editors have received as much as $50,000 to $60,000 since joining the program, while others have earned over a million dollars annually. However, the amounts vary greatly depending on the size of the editorial team and the website's reach. For small websites, the payments from Google account for less than 0.1% of their advertising revenue, according to The Information. This low amount has discouraged some larger publishers from participating, hoping that by doing so, they can push Google to better value the content used for AI training. Some editors are more practical, aiming to understand what kind of content Google favors so they can optimize their articles to benefit from potential revenue. However, the exact criteria Google uses to determine compensation remain unclear, as the company keeps the inner workings of its AI system confidential. Content on niche topics, such as anime or video games, appears to generate more revenue, even if it is not mainstream. Participants hope that this program will set a precedent for other AI companies, which often rely on broad interpretations of "legitimate use" when using copyrighted material. However, for this to happen, Google must officially announce the initiative, and more editors must join the program.