AI Mode, an innovative enhancement from Google powered by artificial intelligence, is facing scrutiny from publishers and digital media outlets worldwide. Numerous organisations are voicing concerns that these features are already negatively impacting their traffic and revenue structures.
Highlights
A Decline in Clicks and Revenue
AI Overviews provide AI-generated summaries at the top of search results, frequently answering user inquiries directly without the need for a click to access the original content. A report from Digiday indicates that publishers like The Sun have seen a 40% decrease in global unique monthly users since the implementation of this feature began to expand.
This situation is raising alarms industry-wide, particularly for platforms that depend heavily on revenue from search-driven advertisements. Additional estimates have suggested that AI Overviews could lead to a 25% decline in traffic, resulting in an estimated annual revenue loss of up to $2 billion across the industry.
The Traditional SEO Paradigm is Changing
For many years, publishers have depended on Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) for increased visibility. However, Google’s AI Mode, which reformulates content into a conversational chat style, may render the goal of securing the top-ranking spot in search results almost irrelevant.
Pages that adhere to traditional SEO practices might be overlooked if the AI is able to produce a summary without attributing the source. There is concern among publishers that only content explicitly structured for summarisation will attain visibility, marking a significant shift that may undermine organic discovery.
This raises important questions about the future significance of conventional SEO strategies and the necessity for originality in content creation.
Content Utilisation Without Permission
Internal documentation from Google reviewed by The Verge has revealed that the corporation dismissed proposals to provide publishers with precise controls regarding the usage of their content in AI Overviews. If a publisher wishes to opt out of these features, they would need to abandon Google Search entirely — a drastic and impractical move for the majority.
In reaction, the News/Media Alliance, which represents over 2,000 media entities, released a statement labelling Google’s new AI Mode as “theft”. The organisation has urged the US Department of Justice to initiate an antitrust investigation regarding these practices.
A representative from the Alliance remarked that the company has taken their content without permission, used it to train AI, and is now profiting from it while excluding them from the benefits.
Google’s Strategy: Increased Ads and Reduced Transparency
In spite of the growing backlash, Google is advancing its strategy to monetise its AI features. During Google Marketing Live 2025, the company revealed plans to incorporate advertisements into AI Overviews and AI Mode, including sponsored product links and suggestions for local businesses. These ads will be displayed regardless of whether users interact with the links, potentially siphoning off even more revenue from publishers.
Simultaneously, publishers have expressed their dissatisfaction with Google’s lack of transparency concerning click-through rates for AI Overviews. Without clear analytics, it becomes challenging for content creators to evaluate the true value, if any, that they are receiving from being included in these summaries.