3 min read
Google has officially rolled out AI-generated summaries within its Discover feed on the iOS and Android search apps in the U.S., sparking renewed concerns among publishers about dwindling web traffic.
These summaries replace traditional news headlines with brief AI-written overviews, accompanied by logos of multiple publishers cited in the summary. A disclaimer warns that the content is produced using AI, “which can make mistakes.”
While the feature doesn’t yet appear on every news story, it has been observed consistently across both platforms in the U.S., particularly for trending lifestyle topics like sports and entertainment. A Google spokesperson confirmed to TechCrunch that this is a full U.S. launch and not a test, indicating the company’s growing shift toward integrating AI into its consumer-facing platforms.
In addition to the new AI summaries, Discover is also experimenting with other content formats. These include bullet-point summaries beneath headlines and grouping related stories together.
For example, a story about President Trump’s Ukraine deal included links to other news about Trump’s recent actions. Similarly, The Washington Post published a piece on ICE that included bullet points summarizing its key details.
Google claims these updates aim to help users quickly decide which pages to visit, but for publishers already seeing a decline in click-throughs, the impact could be damaging.
Publishers Warn of Declining Traffic
The news comes at a critical time. Data from Similarweb, cited by The Economist, reveals that global search traffic fell 15% year-over-year as of June 2025. Even more striking, no-click searches, where users get their answer without visiting a website, rose dramatically from 56% in May 2024 to nearly 69% by May 2025, coinciding with the rollout of Google’s AI Overviews.
Organic visits also took a hit, dropping from over 2.3 billion in mid-2024 to under 1.7 billion, painting a bleak picture for publishers dependent on search referrals.
In response to the growing dissatisfaction, Google recently introduced Offerwall, a monetization tool within Google Ad Manager. It enables publishers to earn revenue through alternate methods such as micropayments, surveys, newsletter signups, and ad views, rather than relying solely on traffic and traditional ads.
However, for many in the publishing industry, the move feels like an afterthought. As Discover was once a steady source of clicks amidst falling search traffic, its shift toward AI-generated content could further erode visibility and engagement for publishers.
AI News Summaries: A Growing Trend
Google isn’t alone in embracing AI-powered news curation. Major outlets like The Wall Street Journal, Yahoo, Bloomberg, and USA Today are also testing AI on their own platforms. Startups such as Particle are going a step further, offering AI features that let users explore multiple perspectives or ask follow-up questions on stories.
Still, these innovations come with a cost: a loss of direct engagement between publishers and their audiences.
As AI integration accelerates, publishers face mounting pressure to adapt quickly. And while Google frames its new tools as user-friendly enhancements, the broader concern remains: if users get everything they need from an AI summary, why click through at all?
