Google has recently introduced a new AI summary feature in the Discover function of its search app. This change has drawn attention from many publishers, who are already struggling with declining traffic. When users use the iOS and Android versions of the Google app, they no longer just see the title of a major publication, but also see logos from multiple news publishers, followed by AI-generated summaries that cite relevant sources.
A Google spokesperson said this is not a test, but a formal launch in the United States. The feature mainly focuses on popular lifestyle topics such as sports and entertainment. Google believes this new feature will help users more easily decide which web pages to visit, although many users still express concerns about AI-generated information, as AI can also make mistakes.
In addition to the AI summary feature, Google is also trying other ways to present news. Some news stories have bullet points below them, or related news is grouped together. For example, a report on Trump's agreement with Ukraine also includes links related to Trump's recent activities. A Washington Post article on the immigration enforcement agency has a list of bullet points summarizing the content.
This update comes at a time when many publishers are also exploring AI technology on their own websites, including The Wall Street Journal, Yahoo, and The Washington Post. However, publishers have mixed reactions to this change, generally concerned about the impact of AI technology on website traffic and referrals. With Google's AI overview and AI mode, users no longer need to directly access websites to get search results; AI can automatically provide summaries or share information through a chatbot interface.
Recently, Google also launched an Offerwall feature to try to help publishers generate revenue through ways other than ads, such as small payments, user surveys, subscription newsletters, or watching ads. However, for many publishers, these measures seem too late, as their traffic has already been sharply declining.
According to a report by The Economist, global search traffic fell by 15% in June last year. Data from market intelligence company Similarweb shows that the percentage of search queries that do not click on news websites has risen from 56% to nearly 69% since the launch of AI overviews in May 2024. Organic traffic has also dropped significantly, from 2.3 billion visits in mid-2024 to less than 1.7 billion.
In this shift, although Google Discover remains a source of traffic, this situation may change if the AI summary feature is widely rolled out in the Google app.