Google has changed how search works — and it may be bad news for websites.
The company’s new tools, AI Overviews and AI Mode, give users fast answers right on the search page. Users don’t need to click on websites anymore. Google says this makes searching quicker and easier.
AI Mode is now available to everyone. It acts like a chatbot. It answers questions in full sentences, lists, or summaries. It even asks follow-up questions. It works like ChatGPT, but inside Google.
But there’s a big problem. These AI answers push website links to the bottom. Sometimes, links are only shown as footnotes. Instead of sending people to websites, Google shows the information directly.
This hurts the websites that provide the content. Sites rely on Google traffic to make money, get readers, or sell products. If people stop clicking, many websites could lose income or shut down.
At the same time, Google is testing ads inside these AI answers. That means Google still profits — even while sites lose visitors.
Experts say this is a big shift. Google is not just showing search results. It’s becoming the answer itself. This change could weaken the web and the businesses that depend on it.
Google wants to stay ahead in the AI race. But in doing so, it may be destroying the open internet it once helped build.
