GOOGLE RELEASES AI MODE SEARCHES – Huge drop in traffic expected from some prominent websites
Google is launching a new “AI mode” for its search engine in the UK, replacing traditional link-based results with AI-generated answers.
This shift is expected to significantly impact websites that depend on Google traffic, especially as the company already controls over 90% of British search queries.
The AI feature functions like a chatbot, offering direct answers without requiring users to click on external sites.
It marks a major departure from Google’s classic “10 blue links” approach. The new tool will assist with tasks like restaurant recommendations, online shopping, and information searches—areas that support entire online industries.
The move could lead to major disruption across the web ecosystem, and some critics are arguing that Google is taking unfair advantage.
Over the past year, Google has started furnishing results with “AI overviews”, which seek to answer queries directly and are positioned ahead of links to other websites.
The Pew Research Centre said last week that searches featuring this AI overview feature only result in people clicking a link 8pc of the time, compared to 15pc for search results that do not include the feature.
