The rise of generative AI chatbots is hitting online news publishers. Heavily reliant on Google search for traffic, many media outlets are now facing steep declines as chatbots and AI-driven platforms are changing how search works. Instead of showing a list of links, these AI chatbots often give instant answers right at the top of the page. This means people no longer need to click on a news article to get the information. And for news websites, fewer clicks mean fewer readers — and less money.
According to data from Similarweb, traffic to HuffPost from Google searches has dropped by more than 50% over the last three years. Similarly, Business Insider lost 55% of its search traffic in the same period. The company even laid off 21% of its staff, citing “extreme traffic drops outside of our control.”
“This is a real danger to journalism,” said William Lewis, CEO of The Washington Post, which is also seeing big traffic drops. The New York Times has witnessed search traffic fall from 44% to 36.5%.
This shift started with Google’s AI Overviews, which summarise answers at the top of the page. Its newer AI Mode, which was launched last month in the US, provides chatbot-style answers, often without even clicking on the link. Atlantic CEO Nicholas said, “Google is shifting from being a search engine to an answer engine.”
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News companies are now trying new ways to reach readers directly. Some are improving their apps, sending more email newsletters, and holding live events to build stronger relationships with audiences. Organisations like The New York Times have filed lawsuits for using their content without permission, while others like News Corp are opting for licensing their information to get paid when AI tools use their articles.
Google says it still sends traffic to websites and shows links for essential news topics. However, with the changing dynamics of search engines, people are prioritising AI chatbots over these news websites.