Google has placed artificial intelligence at the center of its search bar. The most-visited site on the internet still displays a list of links, but users now scroll past a summarized response from an AI chatbot, a feature Google calls AI Overviews. This change to what was once the gateway to the rest of the internet has been profound, and the browsing habits of billions of people are shifting.
AI Overviews: A Significant Upgrade?
“AI is driving the most significant upgrade of the Google Search experience ever,” Liz Reid, Google’s vice-president of search, wrote last August. In May, the company said more AI is coming.
As people grow accustomed to AI chatbots, they are spending more time with Google’s and therefore more time on Google.com. Studies, media outlets, and website owners alike are finding that people navigate less to sites beyond Google if an AI Overview can give them a good enough answer, even if the bot cites the sites that feed it.
Impact on Website Traffic
Clicks, also known as traffic, are often the most significant way a website earns money from advertising. Large US media companies are suing Google, alleging that AI summaries have redirected and reduced traffic to their sites, cutting into their revenue.
Google said it had not seen a decline in aggregate traffic and that such accusations are based on “flawed methodologies”. Reid wrote last year: “Total organic click volume from Google Search to websites has been relatively stable year-over-year.”
Share Your Experience
We want to hear from you. Do you think Google’s infusion of AI has made its search engine better or worse? Please respond in the form below. Please share your story if you are 18 or over, anonymously if you wish. For more information please see our terms of service and privacy policy.
Your responses, which can be anonymous, are secure as the form is encrypted and only the Guardian has access to your contributions. We will only use the data you provide us for the purpose of the feature and we will delete any personal data when we no longer require it for this purpose.
