Website publishers, from news outlets to investment banks, are pushing back against Google’s AI Overviews, claiming the feature cuts click‑through traffic and affiliate revenue. Studies cited by publishers show click rates dropping from fifteen percent to eight percent, and revenue losses of more than a third. Google’s head of search disputes the findings, saying overall organic click volume remains stable. The dispute has escalated to a lawsuit by Penske Media Corporation, which owns The Hollywood Reporter and Rolling Stone, alleging significant financial harm from the AI summaries. Read more →

Google’s search head Liz Reid wrote a blog post asserting that artificial‑intelligence features are not reducing website clicks and are actually driving more searches. The post responds to a Pew Research Center analysis that suggested AI Overviews lower click‑through rates. Reid claims total organic click volume has stayed relatively stable year‑over‑year and that AI tools are an evolution of earlier features like the Knowledge Graph, which also did not cut clicks. She notes users increasingly seek authentic voices, referencing Google’s partnership with Reddit, but provides no specific data to back the claims. Read more →

Google’s search division asserts that the introduction of AI‑driven features has not caused a broad decline in traffic to publisher sites. In a blog post, Vice President Liz Reid says overall organic click volume remains relatively stable year‑over‑year and that click quality has slightly improved. The company acknowledges that user behavior is shifting toward sites offering forums, videos, podcasts and authentic voices, but argues that AI Overviews actually increase the number of links shown on a page, creating more opportunities for publishers. Google also notes that it is developing new tools to help publishers monetize traffic beyond traditional advertising. Read more →