Google’s new AI mode, will no longer provide source links to websites, further heightening concerns of reduced traffic amongst content producers. Instead of providing links to relevant web sources to answers queries, Google will synthesise its ‘own answers’, in the form of generated summaries, sourced from trawled web information.
The move will significantly impact website visibility on searches, many of whom are already experiencing vast drops in traffic from Google on account of AI-driven answer search results. Research by Authoritas suggests that a previously ranked website, could lose about 79% of its traffic for that query if results were delivered below an AI overview. Similarly, new data from Pew Research Center found that just 8% of users who encountered an AI overview clicked on a traditional link — half the rate of those who did not. Overviews are increasingly prevalent, with approximately 20% of Google searches conducted in March 2025 resulting in an AI-generated summary.
Media and publishing outlets are undoubtedly directly at risk, but so too are any professional websites that provide content to demonstrate expertise in order to generate leads, as well as e-commerce brands that rely on product reviews, comparisons, and how-to guides.
The problem lies in the generation of AI-generated summaries, involving content from multiple creators, which is harvested, synthesised, and republished without proper attribution, resulting in neither traffic nor compensation for the source. Furthermore, the overviews subsequently provide Google with a competitive advantage over the original websites, hindering media outlets’ ability to reach their primary audience – essential for sustaining their work.
Already confronted with (frequent) alterations to Google’s algorithms, the implementation of artificial intelligence (AI) functionalities, poses direct threats to websites, especially the digital publishing industry in terms of revenue and market relevance – especially considering Google’s continued, dominant market position. Research conducted by Enders Analysis found publishers’ visibility on Google has declined sharply over the last five years, now evidently accelerated with the launch of AI overviews.
Danielle Coffey, President and CEO of the News/Media Alliance in the US, said: “Links were the last redeeming quality of search that gave publishers traffic and revenue. Now Google just takes content by force and uses it with no return, the definition of theft. The Department of Justice remedies must address this to prevent continued domination of the internet by one company.”
Content publishers are calling for stricter rules on copyright protection to prevent Google from trawling data without consent and for Google to pay for the material its use. Despite the 2025 government consultation, no concrete actions have yet been taken, which means that in the meantime, AI companies can release all manner of new functionalities and features.
Britain’s competition regulator, the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has said that it is proposing to designate Google with “strategic market status”, giving it more power to intervene in search services lead to publishers receiving fairer terms from the company. If designated, this would allow the CMA to introduce targeted measured to address specific aspects of how Google operates search services in the UK.
Blocking Google from scraping website content for its AI services, comes with warnings. Speaking to the Telegraph, Owen Meredith, the Chief Executive of the News Media Association, explained “If publishers want to block Google’s search crawlers to stop their content from being exploited with no transparency, consent – or appropriate reward for original source material – they’ll be demoted from general search listings, causing catastrophic drops in audiences. It’s a lose-lose for sources of trusted verified news and information as the dominant tech firms continue to draw yet more web traffic into their walled gardens.”
A new standard is urgently needed that respects fundamental intellectual property rights, creating a transparent, structured relationship between publishers and AI platforms. Fair access to digital platforms is a fundamental input for websites to effectively reach their target audiences and compete effectively within the ever-evolving media landscape.
Original content is the lifeblood of the internet, and it is imperative that creators continue producing it. There is a substantial risk that independent media, one of the fundamental pillars of democracy, could be irreparably compromised before regulatory measures are implemented to safeguard it.
