Google’s integration of AI-powered “summary cards” into its search system has created serious challenges for many media outlets. Now, users receive direct answers from Google’s AI without needing to visit the websites, which has led to a sharp decline in traffic to media sites and consequently a decrease in advertising revenue.
For example, The New York Times, one of the world’s largest news sites, saw its organic search traffic drop from 44% in 2022 to 36.5% by April 2025. The impact is particularly severe for sites offering practical content such as recipes, travel guides, health advice, and tutorials.
Google rejects these claims, stating that the implementation of AI features actually increases overall traffic and serves users’ interests. However, media representatives argue that the system primarily benefits Google itself. Users obtain information directly from summaries without reading the full articles or visiting the original sites.
Some major media organizations are taking steps to adapt to this new reality. For instance, The New York Times has provided its archives to Amazon for AI training, while The Atlantic collaborates with OpenAI. Meanwhile, the new platform Perplexity has announced plans to share advertising revenue with media outlets whose content is used in its AI-generated answers.
Against this backdrop, media leaders warn that if the industry does not evolve, journalism risks losing stable financial support, threatening its sustainability.
