Course correction: Google to link more sources in AI Overviews

While most of the newly announced AI features will roll out soon, Google is still seeking partners to support one of them. Google is seeking publishers that are interested in testing a new form of subscription integration. The company says your favorite websites should appear more prominently in AI search, so it’s trying to make that happen in AI Overviews and AI Mode. This feature will use an API to link a reader’s subscription on a website with their Google account. Google says that early testing showed users were much more likely to click through when their subscribed websites appeared as links in AI answers. Interested publishers are invited to fill out a form to get more information.

Live by the web, die by the web

Google does not accept the conventional wisdom that AI search is reducing website traffic. However, various analyses have suggested that the chatbot is stopping users from leaving Google’s platform. That might be fine for Google right now, but Gemini only works as a search product if it has a vast sea of online data to summarize. As websites increasingly feel the squeeze of lower traffic (and advertising revenue), there may be less of that content available.

Google also has to be aware that the growing AI backlash goes beyond existential threats to the web—it’s also an immediate legal liability. Publishers, artists, and authors have filed lawsuits against the company alleging that Gemini is illegally using their content. Penske Media has alleged that searches with AI Overviews can reduce clicks by as much as 90 percent. Meanwhile, Google is under increased scrutiny in Europe now that the Digital Markets Act is in full effect, which could force it to create an AI Overviews opt-out for websites.

These changes may represent a bit of a course correction for Google after AI tools created too many zero-click searches. It’s unclear if just adding more external links to AI answers will get the job done, though.