Impact of Google’s AI Summaries on Digital Publishing
Recent findings indicate that Google’s AI-generated summaries are significantly undermining the business models of digital publishers.
A survey conducted by Digital Content Next (DCN), a nonprofit organization that advocates for numerous well-known publishing entities, revealed that median referral traffic from Google Search decreased by 10% year-over-year during May and June. Alarmingly, some publishers experienced as much as a 25% drop in click-through rates.
DCN’s member organizations include influential names such as The New York Times, Bloomberg, Fox News Digital, and NBC News.
Interestingly, non-news brands suffered the most, reporting a 14% year-over-year decline in traffic over the last eight weeks, while their news counterparts fared marginally better, showing a decline of 7%. Certain weeks proved to be particularly disastrous for publishers; referrals from Google to news brands fell by 16% in the week of May 25, whereas non-news brands saw a 17% decline in the week of June 22.
This is not the inaugural instance of concern regarding Google’s AI Overviews, which proliferated in 2023 and were further expanded in May 2024, negatively affecting the publishing sector.
A recent study by Pew Research Center highlighted alarming statistics: only 8% of users exposed to AI summaries clicked on a link in their search results, in contrast to 15% among users presented with conventional search outcomes.
Moreover, 26% of the 900 participants in the study terminated their browsing after viewing the AI Overview, compared to merely 16% who did so after traditional search results.
DCN has proposed several solutions to ameliorate the situation for publishers. Recommended actions include mandating Google to unveil auditable data regarding AI Overview click-through rates and providing publishers with the option to restrict the use of their content in AI-generated summaries without compromising their visibility in Google search.
Additionally, they urge Google to form equitable licensing agreements with publishers and advocate for regulatory bodies to classify AI Overviews and AI Mode as components of Google’s search monopoly.
“This is not a plea for preferential treatment. Rather, it’s a call to uphold the integrity of the open web,” remarked a DCN spokesperson. “We must ensure that AI-generated ‘answers’ displayed prominently in Google Search do not become a gratuitous substitute for the original content they derive from.”
DCN concludes that reliance on AI-generated summaries may ultimately precipitate a decline in information diversity, fostering “fewer sources, weaker journalism, and a less informed public.” In response, Google maintains that AI Summaries actually enhance user engagement by generating “high-quality clicks,” where users remain on the site longer, despite an overall reduction in traffic. However, specifics on how Gemini AI particularly affects news have not been disclosed.
“Overall, total organic click volume from Google Search to external sites has remained largely stable year-over-year,” stated Liz Reid, VP and Head of Google Search, earlier this month. “Moreover, the average quality of clicks has seen an uptick, as we are directing a marginally greater number of quality clicks to websites than the previous year.”
She further suggested that findings from Pew and DCN are “often based on flawed methodologies, isolated incidents, or traffic fluctuations that transpired before the implementation of AI features in Search.”
Although options to disable AI Summaries are nonexistent, there are strategies to mitigate their prevalence.
Source link: Pcmag.com.
