Google Search is no longer the traffic powerhouse it once was, and AI is at the heart of this shift. Traditionally, platforms like Wikipedia and Tripadvisor depended heavily on Google for traffic-63% and 58% of their visits, respectively, originated from search. 
But that dominance is now being eroded by a new wave of AI-driven search tools.
According to Similarweb, AI-based platforms such as ChatGPT, Perplexity, and even Google’s own Gemini are now filling in the gap left by declining referrals from traditional search engines. These AI tools are being accessed both on desktop and mobile. For example, Apple users can easily launch ChatGPT via widgets or the iPhone’s Action Button, while Android users are seeing Google Assistant being swapped for Gemini.
Google, in an attempt to keep up, has rolled out AI Overviews-summarized, generative answers placed above standard results. These responses aim to directly answer users’ queries without requiring a click through to external sites. But this convenience has a cost. Data shows that only 23% of AI Overview searches led to site clicks, versus 36% for traditional results. This is causing a significant traffic dip for websites that once relied on Google Search visibility.
As AI Overviews become more widespread-more than doubling between March 12 and May 6 according to Ahrefs-publishers are feeling the pinch. Business Insider recently laid off 21% of its staff, with its CEO citing external traffic drops as a key reason. Schwab.com experienced its first traffic decline in two years, while Netflix saw a 23% fall in visits. Even Chegg, an education app once valued at $15.1 billion, is now worth just $144 million. Its CEO directly blames AI Overviews for siphoning off the user traffic it relied on.
Chegg is even suing Google, accusing it of leveraging its dominance to extract and republish content in AI summaries, effectively competing with the original sources for user attention.
Despite public skepticism or meme-worthy usage, AI’s practical benefits are starting to be recognized. Between December and March, ChatGPT’s weekly active users jumped 67%, from 300 million to 500 million, with many opting to pay for premium access.
With Google Search generating $90 billion in Q1 2025 alone, the stakes are enormous. The company is now aggressively pushing Gemini as its flagship AI solution, but whether that will be enough to maintain its dominance in a rapidly changing digital landscape remains to be seen.