Last Thursday on 5 February 2026, we hosted a successful event focused on important topics relating to AI and the plurality of the media.
Thank you to the speakers and those who attended. If you would like to find out more about the topics discussed, please get in touch with us.
The first panel presented the issues facing publishers. Publishers, and creators alike, have historically succeeded in the digital ecosystem when founded on advertising and fair value exchange. With the introduction of snippets, and AI Overviews, publishers are seeing a 30% or more drop in traffic. Meanwhile, up to 60% of users are no longer clicking out of the Google experience. As a result, many publishers have been forced to close their businesses, resulting in a cultural strip-mining; there is a clear and obvious threat to culture and ultimately to British democracy.
The second panel outlined the potential solutions, with discussion of a copyright levy, unbundling AI Overviews from Search, and technical solutions. One thing was agreed: the UK, EU, and US regulatory frameworks and government authorities need to understand the urgency of monopolist Google controlling and harming culture today.
We thank all those in attendance and hope to continue the dialogue. Special thanks to chairs The Lord Fox and The Baroness Kidron, and speakers Chris Dicker (Independent Publishers Alliance), Rosa Curling (Foxglove), Thomas Barlow (Independent Media Association), James Rosewell (Movement for an Open Web), Tim Cowen (Preiskel & Co), Tony Curzon Price (Nesta) and The Lord Clement-Jones.
