What is Google’s New AI Mode and Why are Experts Worried?
Google has launched AI Mode, a chatbot-style feature that provides direct answers to user queries without requiring visits to external websites.
The feature is an extension of Google's AI Overview tool – which generates summary paragraphs that appear at the top of search results pages – that the company introduced in 2024.
What makes AI Mode unique, is that unlike traditional search results that display links to websites, it creates detailed responses similar to those produced by ChatGPT or Claude.
Users must actively select AI Mode before conducting searches, making it separate from Google's standard search functionality.
Whilst Google’s AI model itself is not particularly revolutionary, the fact that it is made by the company that has a near monopoly on search engines makes it likely that it will receive a great deal of use.
In fact, it could fundamentally change how people find information online, with Google’s Head of Search Liz Reid calling it “the future of Google Search”.
However, industry experts warn that this technology could reduce web traffic and advertising revenues for millions of publishers who depend on search engine optimisation.
SEO industry warns of traffic collapse
In May, the company’s CEO, Sundar Pichai, announced the new technology at Google I/O, where he said: “For those who want an end-to-end AI Search experience, we are introducing an all-new AI Mode.
“It's a total reimagining of Search.”
Yet multiple studies indicate that Google's existing AI Overview feature reduces website traffic by between 30% and 70%, depending on the search terms used.
Additionally, data from various analytics firms shows that 60% of Google searches now result in zero clicks, meaning users obtain their information without visiting any external websites.
“If Google makes AI Mode the default in its current form, it's going to have a devastating impact on the internet,” says Lily Ray, Vice President of SEO Strategy & Research at Amsive, a digital marketing agency.
“It will severely cut into the main source of revenue for most publishers and it will disincentivise content creators who rely on organic search traffic, which is millions of websites, maybe more.”
Barry Adams, Founder of Polemic Digital, a search engine optimisation consultancy, predicts that AI Mode will reduce click-through rates to websites by approximately 50% compared to traditional search results.
“It could be the difference between having a viable publishing business and going bankrupt,” he says.
Meanwhile BrightEdge, a search engine marketing platform, reports that AI Overviews have increased website impressions by 49% across the internet whilst simultaneously reducing clicks by 30%.
The data suggests that Google displays website links more frequently but users click on them less often when AI-generated summaries provide immediate answers.
Gisele Navarro, Managing Editor of HouseFresh, a product review website specialising in air quality equipment, adds: “A few weeks ago, we noticed a spike,” referring to the number of times HouseFresh appears in Google search results.
“But at the same time, clicks are trending down. So Google is showing our links more often, but no one clicks. It correlates with AI Overviews.”
Google defends AI search developments
Google executives dispute claims that AI-powered search features harm the broader internet ecosystem.
The company maintains that its AI tools actually benefit website publishers by directing users to a wider variety of sources.
“If anything over the last year, it's clear to us the breadth of where we are sending people to is increasing. I expect that to be true with AI Mode as well,” Sundar says.
Nick Fox, Google's Senior Vice President of Knowledge and Information, argues that the company prioritises the health of the web ecosystem: “From our point of view, the web is thriving” he says.
“There's probably no company that cares more about the health and the future of the web than Google.”
Google processes approximately 8.5 billion queries daily, giving it significant influence over how internet users discover and consume information.
Its parent company Alphabet also generated US$307.4bn in revenue during 2023, with the majority coming from advertising revenue tied to search results.
“It's like asking a librarian for a book, but they just tell you about the book instead,” Gisele says.
“This feeling of the web being a big library for all of us, I think that is gone.”
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