Google’s latest move to introduce AI-generated news summaries in its Discover feed is creating shockwaves across the publishing world. What was once a reliable source of traffic for media outlets has now turned into a serious concern, with publishers seeing dramatic drops in referrals.
This new feature, currently live on iOS and Android apps in the U.S., displays short, AI-generated summaries of news stories instead of the usual clickable headlines. These bite-sized overviews are pulled from multiple news sources, and while they may offer convenience for readers, they’re proving disastrous for content creators.
With these AI summaries, users no longer need to click through to the original articles—resulting in what’s called a “zero-click” experience. As a result, major publishers have reported a steep decline in traffic. SimilarWeb data shows that news-related Google referrals fell from 2.3 billion to 1.7 billion monthly visits by May 2025. For many smaller sites, this is unsustainable.
Several outlets, including BuzzFeed News, AnandTech, and Laptop Mag, have already shuttered, citing referral losses. To make matters worse, the EU’s Independent Publishers Alliance has filed an antitrust complaint, accusing Google of using their content without compensation and stifling competition.
Google argues that these summaries help users decide what to read, and they’ve tested new monetization methods like micropayments. But many in the industry remain skeptical.
In a time where trust in journalism is more critical than ever, the balance between AI convenience and publisher survival is under the spotlight. If this trend continues unchecked, the future of independent digital journalism could be in serious jeopardy.
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