AI summaries in Google Search are cutting traffic to news publishers

Google's move toward AI-generated answers in its search engine has weakened a long-standing source of readers for online news outlets, according to a column from The Verge. For years, publishers supplied content to Google's index and received visitors in return. That exchange has become far less dependable since the company placed AI summaries above its traditional list of links.

From ranked links to AI answers

The shift began in 2024 with AI Overviews, which shows a machine-written summary at the top of results and lists selected sources beneath it. In May 2025 Google added AI Mode, a chatbot-style interface that replaces the standard results page with detailed summaries. Some Overviews now expand automatically for certain queries, pushing ordinary links further down.

Several data points cited in the column suggest a real effect on publishers:

• Digital Content Next said 19 of its members lost between 1 and 25 percent of their Google traffic between May and June 2025, as reported by Digiday.
• DMG Media told the UK's Competition and Markets Authority that click-through rates fell by up to 89 percent between June and July 2025, pointing to AI Overviews.
• Pew Research found people are less likely to click through to other sites when an AI Overview appears.

Google rejects the idea that the web is suffering. Search head Liz Reid has described click volume as relatively stable, and senior vice president Nick Fox told the BBC that, in Google's view, "the web is thriving."

Lawsuits, opt-outs and payments

Publishers have taken the issue to court with limited success. A US district judge dismissed an antitrust case brought by Chegg and Penske Media and also rejected a proposed class action over AI Overviews filed by Arkansas newspapers. Following an order from the UK, Google broadly introduced a setting that lets sites opt out of its AI features without losing ordinary search visibility, though this does not restore lost visitors.

Google has also made sources more visible inside its AI answers and says 400 publishers have joined a News AI pilot that licenses their content. Reports from The Information and Digiday say it is testing a program that pays publishers when their material is used in AI Overviews and AI Mode. Many outlets are meanwhile turning to newsletters, social media and subscriptions to reach readers directly.

For anyone who runs or follows websites, the trend signals that search rankings alone may no longer guarantee visitors. Site owners may need to weigh whether to allow their content in AI summaries and invest more in direct channels such as email lists and loyal communities, while users should expect search results to look increasingly like conversations rather than lists of links.