Google’s AI summaries are causing a sharp drop in website clicks, prompting publishers to rethink business models amid fears of a “Google Zero” future.

Independent analyses suggest Google’s AI search strategy is indeed having an impact. Search impressions—the number of advertiser links that show up in searches, even if they aren’t clicked—grew by 49% in the year since the overviews were launched, according to a May report from BrightEdge, a search-engine-optimization firm.

Website links displayed within Google’s AI Overviews saw minimal click-through rates (1 per cent) as well, as per the study.

Study claims sites previously ranked first can lose 79 percent of traffic if results appear below Google Overview

News companies have been warned of a “devastating impact” on online audiences as search results are replaced by AI summaries, after a new study claimed it caused up to 80% fewer clickthroughs. The threat posed by Google’s AI Overviews,

Website links displayed within Google’s AI Overviews saw minimal click-through rates (1 per cent) as well, as per the study.