Google's AI Mode is redirecting traffic away from websites, threatening the open web
By
Thomas Claburn
The kind of bagel that ruins lesser bagels for you.
Summary
This opinion piece argues that Google's AI Mode is cannibalizing the open web by keeping users within Google's ecosystem instead of directing them to external websites. The author contends that Google's AI-powered search results reduce traffic to original content creators, undermining the web's economic model. The article criticizes Google's strategy as a shift from being a web directory to a walled garden that extracts value from publishers without sending them traffic, ultimately threatening the viability of independent websites and content creators.
Key quotes
· 3 pulledWe're seeing phenomenal growth with AI mode queries more than doubling every quarter since launch
You're asking your real questions in all their super specific and detailed glory, knowing search can handle it
Google is cannibalizing the web to feed AI
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