The web is built on a simple deal: websites give search engines like Google free access to their content, and Google Search sends people to websites where they can buy things and look at ads in exchange. That's how most sites make money.
Google is used for about 90% of all searches, accounting for 68% of all internet activity. Google is the Sun that gives the flowers permission to grow if the internet is like a garden. This arrangement worked well for decades, but some people are convinced that the system is falling apart because of a seemingly insignificant change. You'll soon see a new AI tool on Google Search. You may find it very useful. But if critics' predictions come true, it will also have seismic consequences for the internet. They portray a scenario in which numerous individuals may lose their jobs and the availability of high-quality information online may decrease.
Instead, optimists contend that this has the potential to enhance the business model of the internet and broaden opportunities for finding excellent content. However, your digital experiences may never be the same again—for better or worse. On 20 May 2025, Google's chief executive Sundar Pichai walked on stage at the company's annual developer conference. AI Overviews, the AI-generated responses at the top of Google Search results, have been available for a year now. Now, Pichai said, Google is going further. "We are introducing an all-new AI Mode for those who want an end-to-end AI Search experience," he stated. "It's a total reimagining of Search."
You might be sceptical after years of AI hype, but this, for once, is the real deal.
If Google makes AI Mode the default in its current form, it's going to have a devastating impact on the internet – Lily Ray
Google Search is the foundation of the internet and is used five trillion times per year. AI Mode is a radical departure. AI Mode, in contrast to AI Overviews, completely eliminates conventional search results. Instead, a chatbot effectively creates a miniature article to answer your question. As you read this, AI Mode is rolling out to users in the US, appearing as a button on the search engine and the company's app. It's optional for now, but Google's head of Search, Liz Reid, said it plainly when launching the tool: "This is the future of Google Search."
Here's the problem critics foresee – AI Overviews already sends much less traffic to the rest of the internet, and many fear AI Mode could supercharge that trend. If this comes to pass, it could crush the business model that's fuelled the digital content you've enjoyed for almost 30 years.
According to Lily Ray, vice president of search engine optimization (SEO) strategy and research at the marketing agency Amsive, "if Google makes AI Mode the default in its current form, it's going to have a devastating impact on the internet." AI Mode is currently the default setting. "It will disincentivize content creators who rely on organic search traffic, which is millions of websites, possibly more, and it will severely cut into the primary source of revenue for the majority of publishers. Google controls everything. Google says these concerns are overblown. In point of fact, the company is of the opinion that AI Mode will improve the web's health and utility. "Every day, we send billions of clicks to websites, and connecting people to the web continues to be a priority," a Google spokesperson says. "New experiences like AI Overviews and AI Mode enhance Search and expand the types of questions people can ask, which creates new opportunities for content to be discovered."
But Google and its critics agree on one thing: the internet is about to look very, very different. An online era is likely to come to an end within the next year or so. The only question is what our world will look like when the dust settles.
0 Comments
Leave Your Comment