Highlights
- Google search traffic to news sites has plunged 33 per cent globally in single year due to AI overviews and algorithm changes.
- Three-quarters of media managers plan to encourage journalists to behave more like YouTube and TikTok content creators in 2026.
- Lifestyle, celebrity and travel content hit harder than news outlets, with AI summaries appearing in 10 per cent of US search results.
Media companies expect web traffic from online searches to plummet over the next three years, as AI summaries and chatbots fundamentally change how consumers use the internet, according to a major new study.
The Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism report, which surveyed 280 media leaders from 51 countries, found executives fear search engine referrals will fall by 43 per cent over three years.
Search traffic to news sites has already plunged by a third in a single year globally, with the rise of AI overviews and chatbots, as well as changes to search algorithms that have been the lifeblood of some media companies since the advent of the internet.
Google search is down 33 per cent globally, according to new data for more than 2,500 news sites sourced by Chartbeat. The figure is even higher for the US.
Lifestyle, celebrity and travel content is being much more heavily affected than current affairs and news outlets so far. Publications carrying out live reporting and current affairs are more protected from AI summaries.
Google's AI Overviews already appear at the top of about 10 per cent of search results in the US, according to the report, and are rapidly rolling out elsewhere. Referrals to media sites from ChatGPT are growing, but the report described these referrals as "little more than a rounding error."
Nic Newman, senior research associate at the institute, said the "traffic era" for online publishers, which had sustained them since the advent of the internet, was coming to an end. "It is not clear what comes next," he told The Guardian.
"Publishers fear that AI chatbots are creating a new convenient way of accessing information that could leave news brands and journalists out in the cold."
Creator pivot strategy
Newman noted that tech platforms do not hold all the cards. "Reliable news, expert analysis and points of view remain important both to individuals and to society, particularly in uncertain times. Great storytelling, and a human touch is going to be hard for AI to replicate," he added.
The report revealed a scramble among media companies to invest in digital platforms like YouTube and TikTok as short-form video use continues to grow.
Three-quarters of media managers surveyed said they will be trying to get their staff to behave more like creators in 2026, while half are planning to partner with creators to help distribute their content.
There has already been a swing away from simply trying to score big hits through web traffic, with more companies moving towards subscription models that give them a direct relationship with their audience.
Downing Street is also tapping into social media as Keir Starmer attempts to reach Gen Z and bypass traditional media, recently giving access to influencers including Anna Whitehouse and personal finance creators Cameron Smith and Abi Foster.
