Concerns are rising within the global publishing industry as Google introduces AI-generated summaries in its Discover feed. The feature, now live for some U.S. users on iOS and Android, replaces traditional headlines with AI-written summaries. These summaries include logos of multiple news outlets but have raised concerns about their impact on publisher traffic.
Google claims that the AI summaries are designed to help users decide which articles to click on. However, many industry experts worry that these summaries may actually deter users from clicking through to the full article. This shift could lead to a further decline in website traffic for publishers.
A Google spokesperson confirmed to TechCrunch that this is not a test, but an official rollout. Initially, the summaries will focus on trending lifestyle topics like sports and entertainment within the Discover feed, a personalized news section within the Google app.
The summaries include a disclaimer noting that they are AI-generated and may contain mistakes. However, these summaries often include reporting from multiple sources, which raises concerns about proper attribution and the use of intellectual property. Publishers fear that this could divert traffic away from their sites, ultimately reducing their visibility and revenue.
In addition to the AI summaries, Google is testing other AI-driven formats in its Discover feed. Some stories now appear with bullet points that summarize key takeaways, or they are grouped with related coverage from other publishers. This dilutes the visibility of individual outlets, making it harder for users to find the original source.
The update comes as publishers, including major outlets like The Wall Street Journal and Bloomberg, experiment with AI tools on their own platforms. But the wider industry remains concerned about how AI is shifting the power dynamics in digital news.
AI tools, such as Google’s AI Overviews and chat-based results, now answer user queries directly, reducing the need for users to visit news websites. This trend is increasing “zero-click” news consumption, where users receive answers without clicking through to the source.
To counteract these changes, Google recently introduced a feature called Offerwall within Google Ad Manager, allowing publishers to monetize content through alternatives like micropayments, surveys, or ad views. However, many analysts believe this may be too little, too late.
Data from market intelligence firm Similarweb shows a decline in worldwide search traffic, down 15% year-over-year by June 2025. More troubling, the percentage of news-related queries that result in no clicks to news sites increased from 56% in May 2024 to nearly 69% by June 2025. Organic traffic also fell sharply, from 2.3 billion visits per month in mid-2024 to just 1.7 billion in mid-2025.
Google Discover had been a reliable source of referral traffic for publishers, especially on mobile devices. But with the rise of AI-generated summaries in the feed, there are growing fears that this traffic channel may soon dry up.
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