BDZV warns against Google's AI Mode

Google's AI Mode is causing an uproar: The German Federal Association of Digital Publishers and Newspaper Publishers (BDZV) is now sounding the alarm.

The association sees the AI ​​Mode announced by Google as a serious threat to free opinion formation and media diversity in Germany.

In a statement The BDZV calls for an immediate political and regulatory review of the project.

Transparency, liability and source protection

According to the BDZV, key questions remain unanswered:

◉ How is content selected, weighted or changed in AI Mode?

◉ Who assumes liability and responsibility for errors?

◉ How is the protection of sources and copyrights ensured?

Da Google's AI Mode If answers are provided directly through AI generation without prioritizing links to original journalistic sources, the visibility of professional media offerings will be massively restricted, according to the association.

Algorithmic opinion manipulation

"With the introduction of AI Mode, Germany is faced with a fundamental question: Should access to information continue to be shaped by diverse, editorially responsible sources – or increasingly by market-dominating digital corporations with algorithmically generated texts?" explained a spokesperson for the BDZV.

The association sees the danger that algorithmic control could influence public opinion without users being able to understand how the content is created.

Demand: Suspend AI Mode

The BDZV is calling on Google to stop AI Mode in Germany until key questions regarding transparency obligations, naming of sources, author participation, and algorithmic control have been clarified.

“We trust that those responsible at Google Germany are aware of their social responsibility and will conduct an open debate before irreversible facts are created,” the statement reads.

Journalism as a compass

The association also emphasizes the importance of independent journalismEditorial teams organize facts, establish connections, control power, and provide guidance. "Not through algorithms, but through responsibility."

"If AI answers displace journalism, democracy loses its corrective power. What we need are not generic answers, but independent voices committed to press ethics standards," the spokesperson concluded.

AI Mode causes a stir

The announcement of Google AI Mode has set the German media landscape in motion. While Google presents the technology as an innovation for rapid information provision, many see Publishers and journalists This constitutes an attack on the foundations of press freedom and media diversity.

Whether this concern is justified or an overreaction to technological change will only become clear once clear rules on transparency, author participation and liability have been established.

One thing is certain: AI fashion has triggered a fundamental debate – about the role of algorithms, the power of global digital corporations and the future of journalism.

Sierks Media / © Photo: Nathana Rebouças, Unsplash