"You can't sell them until I've flooded the market with all my shares first!" -fElon, probably
Zedstrian
The problem is that Apple's extensive marketing of Apple Intelligence has led to expectations that far surpass what the final product is likely to be.
Most people think generative AI is magic coming out of a hat, so even if Apple delivers at the same level as other companies, people will feel like they've been misled.
That's a symptom of Google holding a monopoly over search results.
Real reporting will always cost more to produce than AI-generated propaganda, and if the former has a paywall and the latter doesn't, people will inevitably end up reading the news that takes the least effort to produce, to the detriment of actual news reporting.
Requiring Google to both carry such content and pay for it at least ensures that it has an even footing with websites seeking to push propaganda instead.
The problem is that society has transitioned to a point where most people essentially go to Google and Facebook for all their information. Given the monopolistic power of such platforms on public opinion, there is a very strong societal interest to ensure that actual news, not merely the propaganda of the highest bidder, is what people have access to.
The responsibility of Google to pay for it can be argued, but as real reporting will always cost more to produce than AI slop pushed by propagandists, there is arguably a public interest in that as well. The alternative is legitimate news more often than not ending up with more ads and paywalls than propaganda, which will just result in more people reading sources based on less reliable reporting.
Russia doesn't have peace intentions, making helping Ukraine at every turn the only rational option.