Chatbots barely bring in news traffic

(CLO) Tollbit, an analytics and licensing platform for news organizations and AI companies, recently announced its first AI User Agent Index.

This new report finds that AI chatbots generate almost no referral traffic for news publishers.

Illustration: AI.

This is a quarterly report that tracks overall trends in the AI industry’s data collection habits. The report found that click-through rates from AI chatbots are 95.7% lower than traditional Google searches, with a referral rate of just 0.37%.

News/Media Alliance President and CEO Danielle Coffey released a statement about the report: “Tollbit’s data confirms what publishers have long recognized – AI-generated chatbots do not drive significant traffic like traditional search engines.”

“When AI companies illegally collect our content, repackage it, and serve it to users without adequately redirecting it to our site, they are exploiting our content to undermine our business,” she said.

Without web traffic, news and media organizations would lose subscription and advertising revenue, which directly impacts their ability to maintain and develop quality content — something both AI companies and consumers rely on.

With click-through rates from AI nearly 96% lower than traditional search — which already has a dismal return on investment — the shift to AI is posing an existential threat to the news and media industry.

“We need to change this,” said Danielle Coffey. “However, that doesn’t mean we want to hinder the development of AI. The news and media industry is not against AI – many of our organizations are already using AI to better serve their customers. We are simply asking for a responsible AI environment. AI companies must pay for the content they use to ensure the sustainability of both industries.”

Media organizations around the world are also looking to negotiate with AI companies to secure intellectual property rights. Several countries have enacted or are considering regulations that would force AI platforms to share revenue with news organizations, similar to neighboring rights laws in Europe.

Cao Phong (according to NMA, NYT, CNN)

Source: https://www.congluan.vn/bao-cao-cac-chatbot-ai-hau-nhu-khong-mang-lai-luu-luong-truy-cap-tin-tuc-post336972.html