If you’re a content creator, publisher, or run a media site, here’s some news you’ll want to hear (and probably won’t like):
Google is using your content to train its AI models—without compensation, permission, or even a heads-up.
And while your content quietly powers someone else’s AI chatbot, your traffic—and revenue—take the hit.
According to the Wall Street Journal, Google has been feeding content—including paywalled articles from news publishers—into its AI tools to generate summaries and responses that keep users on Google instead of clicking through to your site. Not cool.
This latest development? It’s a wake-up call: your content is valuable—and it’s time to protect it.
Why It Matters: AI Is Scraping News Content Without Compensation
Let’s break it down. When generative AI pulls info from your site (or your competitors’), it does a few damaging things:
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Less traffic: Readers get their answers in the search results—no click needed.
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Reduced credibility: Your content can be repackaged out of context.
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Revenue risk: Fewer visits mean fewer impressions, leads, and subscriptions.
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Devalued content: The hard work of journalism or research becomes free training data for AI tools.
This doesn’t just hurt the big guys. Local, niche, and independent publishers have the most to lose—and the least leverage to fight back.
3 Ways to Protect Your Website From AI Scrapers and Content Bots
Good news: You can take back some control. Here are a few steps you can take right now to block AI bots and protect your content:
1. Add Google-Extended to your robots.txt
This file tells bots what they can and can’t access on your site. Add this line to block Google’s AI-specific crawler:
User-agent: Google-Extended
Disallow: /
This is a clear way to say: “You can crawl for search, but not for AI training.”
2. Block AI bots with one click using Cloudflare
If your site is on Cloudflare, their new “Declare Your AI-Independence” feature lets you block most AI scrapers instantly. It’s a smart, low-effort solution that doesn’t require technical knowledge.
3. Invest in first-party data strategies
When you can’t control what happens on the open web, double down on what you do own: your audience. Build campaigns based on first-party data like:
- Email lists
- Subscriber data
- Event registrations
- Website visitors
At January Spring, we help publishers and agencies turn that data into first-party data audience retargeting campaigns that keep your brand—and your revenue—off the chopping block.
Why First-Party Data Is More Valuable Than Ever
Let’s face it: you can’t stop the AI wave entirely. But you can future-proof your strategy by owning your audience and how you use your content. First-party data gives you control, insights, and the power to reach users across the web—not just on your site.
That’s what we help our partners do every day at January Spring.
Meanwhile… Reddit Is Driving More Traffic to Publishers
Here’s another silver lining: Reddit is now emerging as a meaningful referral source for many publishers, according to Digiday. As Google Search gets more crowded—and AI-generated answers steal visibility—publishers are seeing a lift from Reddit, where real users are actively seeking out credible sources and linking to original content.
Some publishers even reported Reddit as their top referral source after direct traffic.
The takeaway? While AI eats your clicks, platforms that value human-curated content (like Reddit) may be worth leaning into. Just another reason to diversify where and how you reach your audience—and protect what’s yours.
Final Thought: Guard What’s Yours (and Grow What You Can Control)
Google and AI platforms may not be asking permission—but that doesn’t mean you can’t push back.
- Block what you can.
- Protect what you’ve built.
- Monetize what you own.
Meanwhile, keep your eyes on new traffic sources like Reddit, optimize your data strategy, and work with partners who’ve got your back.
Need help doing all of the above?
Contact January Spring and let’s build something that works for you—not someone else’s algorithm.