The winners and losers of Google’s AI Mode

Google’s rollout of AI Mode has rattled publishers. Who stands to gain, and what else is threatened by Google’s integration of AI in search?

May 29, 2025 - 05:02
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The winners and losers of Google’s AI Mode

Google’s rollout of AI Mode to search has rattled publishers, reinforcing fears of a future where the platform stops sending traffic to publishers’ sites outright in lieu of their AI-generated summaries. 

While that may still be a ways away, Google’s other generative AI search feature AI Overviews has already given publishers a glimpse into a future of Google search without the classic blue links. Daily Mail reported a nearly 44% lower clickthrough rate since the debut of AI Overviews. Another publishing exec told Digiday they had seen a 1-4% decline in page views.

So who stands to gain from AI Mode? And what else is threatened by Google’s integration of AI in search?

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