Google's AI feature is increasingly summarizing content, as noted by Semrush president Eugene Levin. Certain publishers have seen significant increases in their keywords triggering AI Overviews over the past six months. For instance, ProPublica. org's keyword share rose by 204%, BuzzFeed. com by 172%, and both Rolling Stone and Vanity Fair by 164%. Although search traffic remains volatile, there is no evidence that AI Overviews are negatively impacting referral traffic; Levin states they generate approximately the same amount as before. From May 2024 to February 2025, ProPublica saw a global traffic increase of 51. 4%, while BuzzFeed’s rose by 8. 2%. However, Rolling Stone and Vanity Fair experienced declines of 11. 8% and 19. 7%, respectively. Conversely, NewRepublic. com gained 59. 6%. A recent report from Tollbit revealed that AI search bots are delivering 95. 7% less referral traffic compared to traditional Google searches.

However, publishers lack insight into AI Overviews' specific impacts due to Google's limited traffic data. Some publishers report their Google Search referral traffic appears stable but cannot determine the specific effects of AI Overviews. Raptive's Paul Bannister noted that without clear data, it is difficult to ascertain the overall impact. Google claims that AI Overviews boost publisher traffic by embedding direct links, though no supporting data was provided. The effects of AI Overviews depend on how a publisher’s content ranked before their introduction. Publishers previously featured in Google’s “featured snippets” may lose traffic, while others may see gains. For instance, Ziff Davis revealed that only 12% of their top queries involved AI Overviews, with no change in click-through rates. IAC’s CEO reported that while AI Overviews appeared in about 20% of searches for Dotdash Meredith, their traffic impact was minimal. However, measuring the impact of AI Overviews based solely on search keywords has limitations, and the recent introduction of AI Mode could alter this dynamic. Paul Hood, an AI media consultant, emphasized that these tools function more as "Answer" engines rather than traditional search engines, suggesting that collaboration may be crucial for future growth in the evolving landscape.