Press Publishers Versus AI – Not a Matter of Property but of Fairness

Abstract AI-powered answer engines are leading to the media revolution of our time. Within seconds, they provide their users with AI-generated answers thereby creating a new information structure online. To generate their content, they also use press publications. This results in a new conflict: press publishers versus AI. To address it, EU media regulation should not aim at securing the income stream of press publishers, but at a well-functioning information market that benefits the public sphere. In this opinion, I propose to frame the conflict not as one of property but as a matter of fairness between competitors on today’s information market. Due to the principle of freedom of imitation, answer engines may resemble press publications if their imitations do not exceed a certain threshold of unfairness.