# CNN Joins Google’s News AI Pilot Under a Multiyear Licensing Deal By John Kim Canonical URL: https://www.tokenpost.com/news/business/33129 Published: 2026-10-16T08:07:05.000Z Updated: 2026-10-16T08:07:05.000Z Section: Business > The companies did not disclose the agreement’s payment terms, name the products that will use CNN journalism or specify whether the rights include AI model training. CNN has joined Google’s News AI pilot through a multiyear agreement giving Google enhanced rights to use CNN journalism in experimental features. The partnership, announced Thursday, Oct. 15, adds a major U.S. news organization to a program testing licensed content in AI-related products. The pilot includes more than 400 publications worldwide and compensates participants for the delivery and use of enhanced content. It launched in 2025. Examples include article overviews on publisher pages in Google News and customizable audio briefings, both with attribution and links to original reporting. CNN’s announcement does not specify whether its journalism will appear in either feature. The companies did not disclose payment terms for CNN’s deal or identify the Google products that will use its material. They also did not specify whether the enhanced rights include training AI models. The agreement is separate from [Google’s invitation-only payment program for publishers whose content contributes to AI Search answers](). That test pays selected publishers based on content used in AI search products; the News AI pilot is a licensing program for enhanced content. Publishers’ expectations for revenue from AI deals vary. A survey of 280 senior news leaders across 51 countries and territories, conducted from Nov. 18 to Dec. 20, 2025, found that 20% expected substantial future revenue from such deals, while 49% expected a minor contribution and 20% expected none. The survey reflects a selected group of industry leaders, not a representative sample. The licensing deal comes amid legal disputes over the use of journalism in AI systems. USA Today Co. and publishers representing 19 publications sued OpenAI on Oct. 8, alleging the company used their work to train models and reproduced it in chatbot responses. The publishers are seeking more than $250 million in damages. The case is part of a broader dispute over publishers’ rights and compensation, including the [lawsuit by USA Today Co. and other publishers against OpenAI](). ## Links in this article - [Google’s invitation-only payment program for publishers whose content contributes to AI Search answers](https://www.tokenpost.com/news/technology/25869) - [lawsuit by USA Today Co. and other publishers against OpenAI](https://www.tokenpost.com/news/regulation/28641)