Black Hat 2023: How AI changes the monetization of search

A reflection on the Black Hat 2023 keynote argues that AI-driven, single-answer search could de-monetize content by bypassing SERPs and attribution, shifting revenue to search platforms and threatening the sustainability of quality information online. It highlights the market stakes, references efforts like Canada’s Bill C-18 to compensate creators, and warns of cascading cybersecurity risks—from neglected site maintenance to misinformation and adversarial content seeding—if content creators cannot sustain their operations.