Google AI Research: Traffic Decline and Initial Compensation Efforts

Key Takeaways

1AI Previews and Google's AI Mode are changing the visibility of sources and reducing traffic for many media outlets

2Several studies and reports document significant traffic declines, sometimes up to 89% for certain publishers

3Google is adjusting the interface, claims stability in clicks, and is testing licensing and compensation programs with around 400 publishers

4Legal actions against Google have been dismissed in the United States

Why it matters : The evolution of Google's AI search challenges the traffic model of publishers and prompts a reevaluation of the relationship between platforms and content producers.

Declining clicks, inconclusive legal actions, withdrawal options, and compensation tests: the transformation of AI-driven search is reshaping the relationship between Google and publishers. The figures released by various stakeholders contrast with Google's assurance that the web is "thriving."

Alert on Usage and Break Signals

Research summaries are now automatically expanding for certain queries, further burying traditional links. At the same time, the Wall Street Journal reports that Reddit is considering severing ties with Google due to declining traffic. Common Sense Media believes these summaries pose an unacceptable risk to children in crisis situations. To regain control, some publishers are using a setting that allows them to exclude their content from AI Previews and AI Mode without losing visibility in traditional search, a possibility widely implemented following a ruling in the UK. However, this withdrawal does not address the observed decline in traffic.

Documented Declines Among Media

Following the introduction of AI features in search, several publishers have seen their traffic decline. Decreases since 2022 have been reported for various media outlets, including for itself. Similarweb indicates, according to the newspaper, that the share of search traffic to The New York Times has dropped from 44% to 35.5% over three years. Between May and June 2025, 19 members of Digital Content Next reported traffic losses ranging from 1% to 25% from Google, according to trends shared by Digiday. DMG Media mentioned a drop of up to 89% in click-through rates between June and July 2025, attributed to AI Previews. According to a Pew Research study, there is a lower propensity to click on other sites when an AI Preview appears.

What Google Says and What Google Changes

Google maintains that the overall volume of clicks from search remains relatively stable and claims that AI is redistributing more clicks towards formats such as forums, videos, podcasts, and user posts. Its vice president, Nick Fox, believes the web is "thriving." On the interface side, Google is displaying a pop-up listing associated articles and images when hovering over links in AI Mode and AI Previews, and it announces that it will more frequently place links higher in the responses.

Le brief IA que lisent les pros

Le brief IA que les pros lisent chaque soir

Les 7 actus IA du jour, décryptées en 5 min. Gratuit.

Inclus dès l'inscription : notre sélection des meilleurs guides & comparatifs IA.

Choisissez votre rythme

Gratuit · Pas de spam · Désabonnement en 1 clic

Licenses and Content Compensation Tests

Google asserts that around 400 publishers, including The Washington Post, CNN, Axios, and The Financial Times, are participating in the News AI pilot, which licenses content to develop new AI features. Simultaneously, the company is testing a compensation program for the use of content in AI Previews and AI Mode, according to some sources. It is not established that these measures will be sufficient to rebalance the relationship between Google and publishers.

Legal Framework Advances, with Notable Dismissals

Publishers around the world have taken the matter to court, arguing that the new search features penalize their traffic. Many of these actions have not succeeded. Federal Judge Amit Mehta dismissed an antitrust complaint from Chegg and Penske Media, owner of several titles, as well as a proposed class action filed by newspapers from Arkansas regarding AI Previews.

How Search Has Changed and Why It Matters

Since 2024, AI Previews place an AI-generated summary at the top of the page, relegating links to sources below, without a guarantee of clicks. Their deployment, marked by a difficult start, alarmed publishers; the News/Media Alliance spoke of a catastrophic effect on traffic. In May 2024, a survey found AI Previews present for nearly a quarter of news-related searches, and by August, they were replacing previously leading media on certain queries. In May 2025, AI Mode, a chatbot-like interface, further increased the prominence of summaries. Overall, combined with ranking changes, this situation makes it more challenging for publishers reliant on traffic from Google, in a trend where AI-driven search could reduce the flow of visitors to external sites.