Google’s AI Overviews Face Backlash from News Publishers

Since its U.S. debut in May, Google’s AI Overviews feature has stirred controversy among news publishers. The AI-driven tool attempts to synthesize information from web sources into a single AI-generated response, designed to directly answer user queries.

While this promises convenience for users, publishers have raised concerns about inaccuracies, lack of source transparency, and the feature’s potential to reduce organic search traffic by satisfying users without requiring them to click through to the original articles.

Despite the initial criticism, Google expanded AI Overviews in August, launching the feature in six additional countries and languages.

Background on AI Overviews

AI Overviews started as an opt-in feature and has since integrated into general search results. Instead of merely listing links to web pages, it attempts to provide a complete, conversational answer. Publishers worry that this format is harming their traffic, as users get answers without clicking on the original sources.

Some publishers also accuse Google of repurposing their content without proper attribution or revenue sharing, raising ethical and legal concerns.

Audience Directors Respond

Several leading audience strategy experts voiced their concerns about AI Overviews in interviews with Nieman Journalism Lab.

Veronica de Souza from New York Public Radio stressed the importance of building direct audience connections through channels like apps and newsletters, reducing reliance on Google traffic.

She shared:

“We’ve doubled down on converting people to our O&O (owned-and-operated) platforms like our app and newsletters…More transparency about which categories of search queries surface AI Overviews would be a good start.”

Bryan Flaherty of the Washington Post raised concerns over misinformation risks and the lack of insights into performance data from Google.

“If Google loses users due to the quality issues in its results and AI Overviews, users could continue to turn to non-traditional search platforms that don’t have as direct a tie back to sites, like YouTube and TikTok, which will have an impact on traffic.”

Mike Dougherty from Vermont Public highlighted the absence of clear citations in Overviews, noting:

“This product could so easily put clickable citations into or above the text. It could even write, ‘According to [publisher],…’ the way one news outlet might credit another.”

Scott Brodbeck of Local News Now offered a more optimistic view, suggesting that news publishers need to outcompete AI summaries with quality content.

“If you as a news publisher cannot out-compete a brief AI-written summary, I think you have a big problem that’s not just being caused by Google and AI.”

IGN’s Marat Gaziev advocated for stronger collaboration between Google and credible content providers to ensure the accuracy of information.

“RAG requires a deep and symbiotic relationship with content publishers and the media industry to ensure that only credible sources are utilized during retrieval and augmentation.”

Ryan Restivo, founder of YESEO, warned about the environmental impact of AI due to the significant computing power needed to operate at scale.

“The biggest problem, in my opinion, is the competition entering this space…The amount of compute needed to produce these at scale is hurting our environment.”

Seth Liss from the LA Times speculated that Google might eventually favor keeping users on its site rather than directing them to external sources.

“If Google decides its best way forward is to keep all of those readers on its own site, there will be a lot of sites that have to figure out other ways to find new audiences.”

Measured Optimism

While concerns are prevalent, some experts remain optimistic. Many believe high-quality, in-depth journalism will still attract readers seeking full context beyond a brief AI summary. There’s also hope that Google will eventually work with publishers in a way that benefits both parties without monopolizing their content.

The Way Forward

As search evolves, publishers are exploring new strategies, from increasing focus on newsletters and mobile apps to refining AI-driven SEO practices. The challenge remains: how to stay relevant and profitable when search engines can generate answers directly, without sending users to original content.

This debate underscores a broader issue faced by all publishers—how to stay visible and thrive in an era where search engines dominate content discovery and interaction.