California tried to make Google pay news outlets. The company cut a deal that includes funding AI

California lawmakers are abandoning an ambitious proposal to force Google to pay news companies for using their content, opting instead for a deal in which the tech giant has agreed to pay $122.5 million to support local media outlets and start an artificial intelligence program. The first-in-the-nation agreement, announced today, promises $135 million for local journalism across California over the next five years, but represents a significant departure from the bill pushed by news publishers and media employee unions earlier this year. Instead of Google and Meta being forced to...