Recently, the Japanese publishing industry has issued a stern warning about AI-driven search engines, arguing that these emerging technologies are eroding the foundations of the news industry. The Japan Newspaper Publishers and Editors Association has stated that AI search engines are exploiting the content of news media without fair compensation, a phenomenon known as "free-riding." This means that AI systems profit from news content without providing support for its creation and the news ecosy

News organizations that rely on Google's traffic face risks as Google's AI search may exacerbate traffic declines. Approximately 40% of traffic comes from Google AI-driven searches, potentially depriving news magazines of traffic. The news industry has repeatedly expressed concerns about the impact of AI technology.

Over 70% of news organizations believe that generative AI brings new opportunities to the news industry. More than 85% of respondents have tried using generative AI to assist in coding, generating images, and writing summaries. Respondents acknowledge that AI-generated content needs to be manually reviewed to mitigate bias and inaccuracies. Concerns were raised regarding the ethical impact of AI on journalistic values. News organizations in the Southern Hemisphere face challenges related to language, infrastructure, and politics.