Publishers' association warns: Google AI Mode increases pressure on Swiss media
Google is launching a new «AI Mode» in Europe—a search feature with AI-generated answers that reuses journalistic content in two ways: as snippets and as the basis for automatically generated text—without compensation. The Swiss Media Publishers Association warns: There is now an urgent need for ancillary copyright protection.
Google itself admits that the answers provided by its AI are prone to error and depend on reliable sources. This is precisely why the US company is increasingly relying on journalistic articles without compensating their authors. This loophole in Swiss copyright law - excerpts of journalistic content are currently not protected - plays into the hands of Google and other tech giants.
Billions in sales - at the expense of the media
According to studies, around 50 to 70 percent of all Google searches lead to so-called "zero click searches": users receive their information directly on Google and do not click on the source. While Google generates over one billion Swiss francs in advertising revenue per year in Switzerland in the search sector alone, publishers are continuously losing reach and revenue. A study conducted by FehrAdvice with economists from the University of Zurich and ETH came to the conclusion that Google owes the Swiss media at least CHF 154 million per year.
This damage is likely to increase further with the new AI mode. The more Google prepares content itself, the less likely readers are to visit the websites of media companies.
Legal loophole
In the summer of 2025, the Federal Council presented a proposal for an ancillary copyright that would ensure fair remuneration for publishers. The National Commission for Transport and Telecommunications (KVF-N) is currently discussing this. Google and other platforms reject the regulation - although international examples, for example from Germany, show that journalistic content makes a decisive contribution to the quality of search results.
"News is the food of search engines," emphasizes Microsoft President Brad Smith. It is precisely this "fodder" that has so far been supplied free of charge - at the expense of media diversity.
AI use as a new challenge
In addition to traditional searches, generative AI systems such as chatbots also access journalistic content without paying for it. A motion by Councillor of States Petra Gössi wants to clarify this misuse of intellectual property. The National Council has already given its approval and the bill is now before the Council of States.
VSM's conclusion: With the new AI Mode, Google is further exacerbating the imbalance between tech giants and media companies. Swiss journalists make a key contribution to the democratic supply of information - they should finally be fairly compensated for this.
