I’m far from Google’s biggest fan. In fact, I have a well-earned reputation as an outspoken critic. But I believe my criticism comes from a position of fairness and balance.

When Google does something right, I want to highlight that as well. This is one such occasion. I see what Google is trying to do for news and publishing , and I’m almost perfectly aligned with their vision.

Amidst the AI upheaval and the barrage of announcements coming out of Google these last few years, you may have missed a common thread among many of the search giant’s new features.

Let’s take a look at some of the shiny new toys that Google is giving to publishers, and see if you can spot the trend:

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