The thing that’s mostly wrong with AI summaries is that people don’t click through to the page the summary summarizes. So those sites don’t get ad revenue.
Not exactly. People don’t click on ads when ads are blocked. But ad aggregation companies get paid in a couple of different ways. Click through is a big one, but ad impressions (eyeballs that supposedly viewed an ad) are also a thing. And impressions pay, just not as well as clickthroughs. Ad companies haven’t stopped paying aggregates for ad space. That’s why ads on paid services have gotten more egregious. It’s not because they aren’t getting paid. It’s because they want both.
For what it’s worth, you can (and some do) pay for subscriptions to websites or services on the internet. But nobody is paying ad aggregation companies with the intent of seeing ads regardless of the reality.
Also, ad blocking as a whole is for security as much as it is for quality of life. Ad aggregation companies have a habit of taking the money and asking questions only when they get complaints (if then) and as a result, they don’t leave users who want to protect themselves another choice.
Of course, there’s also the fact that one way or another the web can’t just be free. Someone somewhere has to pay for the resources that make it run and the upkeep it requires.
Don’t ad blockers have a similar effect?
Not exactly. People don’t click on ads when ads are blocked. But ad aggregation companies get paid in a couple of different ways. Click through is a big one, but ad impressions (eyeballs that supposedly viewed an ad) are also a thing. And impressions pay, just not as well as clickthroughs. Ad companies haven’t stopped paying aggregates for ad space. That’s why ads on paid services have gotten more egregious. It’s not because they aren’t getting paid. It’s because they want both.
For what it’s worth, you can (and some do) pay for subscriptions to websites or services on the internet. But nobody is paying ad aggregation companies with the intent of seeing ads regardless of the reality.
Also, ad blocking as a whole is for security as much as it is for quality of life. Ad aggregation companies have a habit of taking the money and asking questions only when they get complaints (if then) and as a result, they don’t leave users who want to protect themselves another choice.
Of course, there’s also the fact that one way or another the web can’t just be free. Someone somewhere has to pay for the resources that make it run and the upkeep it requires.