A few days ago, the BBC published a groundbreaking report examining a massive shift taking place across the internet, one that could redefine how we search, consume and interact with online information.

At the heart of this transformation is Google’s new AI Mode, a tool designed to make search faster and smarter. On the surface, it promises convenience and efficiency. 

But as the BBC report reveals, critics are sounding the alarm: this innovation may come at a steep cost that could devastate the open web, dismantle the business models of countless content creators and fundamentally alter the architecture of the internet itself.

Which leads us to the real question:  Is this innovation or is it innovation disguised as progress?

A Radical Change to Search With Google AI Mode 

At Google’s developer conference on May 20, 2025, CEO Sundar Pichai introduced AI Mode as a feature offering users a fully AI-powered search experience.

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Unlike traditional search, where Google provides a list of blue links for users to explore, AI Mode replaces those links with AI-generated answers, formatted as complete, miniature articles.  

“For those who want an end-to-end AI Search experience, we are introducing an all-new AI Mode,” Pichai declared. “It’s a total reimagining of Search.”

Initially optional, AI Mode is already being rolled out in the U.S. through a toggle in the Google Search app. However, Google’s Head of Search, Liz Reid, made it clear:

“This is the future of Google Search.”

It is built to look smooth, feel intuitive and offer convenience but for those of experts who rely on traffic from Google (and that is most of the internet), the implications are enormous.

The Old Web Model — And How AI Mode Breaks It

Let’s not forget what made the internet work. For decades, there has been an unspoken pact: Websites create and share free content.

Google indexes that content and, in return, drives traffic to those sites. That traffic turns into revenue through ads, subscriptions, leads or products.

The BBC highlights how 68% of online activity starts with search engines and 90% of those searches happen on Google. That makes Google the central gatekeeper of the internet. 

And since Google processes over 5 trillion searches a year, even a small shift in traffic can cause a ripple effect across the web.

“If the internet is a garden,” the BBC report notes, “Google is the Sun that lets the flowers grow.”

But with AI Mode, Google consumes your content and keeps the traffic. Imagine your blog post being quoted, summarized and presented by an AI and shockingly users never visiting your website.

Well that is the new reality. And many fear this model could crush digital publishing altogether.

Publishers Are Already Losing Traffic Due to Google AI Mode

Many experts believe AI Mode will drastically reduce the traffic Google sends to websites. We’ve already seen a preview of this through AI Overviews, which launched in 2024.

Key stats cited in the BBC’s report:

• AI Overviews increased impressions by 49%
• But clicks dropped by 30%
• An estimated 60% of Google searches are now zero-click—users find what they need without visiting a single link

SEO expert Lily Ray, VP at Amsive, warns:

“If Google makes AI Mode the default in its current form, it will severely cut into the main source of revenue for most publishers… millions of websites, maybe more.”

The economic implications are huge: less traffic means less ad revenue, fewer subscribers and potentially millions of jobs at risk in digital media, blogging, e-commerce and marketing. 

A Real Example of HouseFresh’s Decline

Let’s take the example of HouseFresh, a website dedicated to reviewing air quality products. Sounds niche, right? But it is a business built on trust, SEO and detailed reviews.

Gisele Navarro, Managing Editor, shared that since AI Overviews launched:

“We noticed a spike in impressions  Google was showing our site but clicks were trending down. People see our name. They just don’t visit us.” 

HouseFresh has even started shifting to YouTube to survive but Navarro admits video platforms are unpredictable and force creators into showmanship instead of substance.

“There’s no incentive to build the same high-quality content. Everything becomes about monetization and virality.” 

Google Says AI Mode Is an Upgrade But Critics Disagree

Google insists this change is for the better. The company says:

“We send billions of clicks to websites every day. AI Mode helps users ask better questions and discover deeper content.”

In a podcast, Nick Fox, SVP at Google, stated:

“From our point of view, the web is thriving. Content is up by 45% in the last two years — not including spam.”

But critics like Barry Adams, founder of Polemic Digital, counter:

“Extinction is too strong. But decimation? That’s the right word.”

And the problem isn’t just traffic — it’s control. According to the BBC’s findings, Google quietly changed its rules in 2024 to allow automatic inclusion of website content into AI summaries. The only way for publishers to opt out?

They must opt out of Google Search entirely. 

“This is the definition of theft,” says Danielle Coffey, president of the News/Media Alliance, representing 2,200+ media outlets. “They’re making money on our content, and we get nothing.”

The Rise of Machine Web

Experts, including Google insiders, believe we are entering what’s called the Machine Web:

• A version of the internet where AI is the primary reader and interpreter
• Websites are built for machines, not people
• AI presents digested summaries instead of connecting users to full sources

Demis Hassabis, head of Google DeepMind, predicts:

“In a few years, publishers will feed content directly to AI models. Many won’t bother putting it on websites for humans to read.”

This means the serendipity of discovering new ideas, perspectives, or niche communities could vanish, replaced by a streamlined but shallow AI summary.

How Will Content Creators Get Paid?

If users stop clicking links and instead consume content from AI directly on Google, how will websites make money?

Some big companies are securing deals:

• The New York Times is licensing its content to Amazon’s AI
• Google pays Reddit $60 million a year
• OpenAI has similar agreements with large publishers

But these deals are only for the biggest players. Smaller publishers are left out—and even those with deals say it’s not a scalable model. Tom Critchlow, EVP at Raptive, said:

“I don’t think paying for content like this will work at the scale necessary to sustain the web.”

Many creators are pivoting to YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram, but the BBC report explains that these platforms bring their own challenges. “There’s no incentive to build high-quality content,” said Navarro.

“It becomes about monetization and transition. You inform less and sell more.”

AI Mode May Be Popular But Is It What People Need?

Google claims AI Mode is what users want. It uses a “fan-out” method, where AI breaks your query into subtopics and does multiple searches simultaneously to return a comprehensive answer.

According to Pichai: “As people use AI Overviews, we see they are happier with their results, and they search more often.”

But critics, like Mike King from iPullRank, say this leads to filter bubbles and cognitive bias:

“Now Google is interpreting the info for you. The answers you expect are what you get. And misinformation gets reinforced.”

AI Hallucinations Are Still a Problem

Even with Google’s sophisticated models, AI hallucinations remain a risk.

From telling users to add glue to pizza to advising people to eat rocks, early AI errors have sparked concern.

“Hallucinations are an inherent feature,” admitted Pichai on a podcast.

Google says accuracy is improving, but issues persist like a 2025 incident when the AI incorrectly stated it wasn’t Thursday… or 2025.  

Adding to this Technologist Cory Doctorow, author of the upcoming book Enshittification, warns:

“If I still valued Google as a way to find information—or have mine found—I’d be worried. But this is also a crisis we shouldn’t let go to waste.” “It’s a chance to build a coalition and fight for a better web.”

Is This the End of the Open Web?

The BBC report outlines a stark choice for the future of the internet:

Do we want a web powered by human curiosity, creativity and community?

Or do we let AI strip the internet for parts—summarizing it, flattening it, and serving it back to us, click-free?

Google says this is evolution. Critics say it is a destruction. The truth may lie in what we as users choose to support. Because if we don’t act, we may wake up to an internet where no one owns their content, no one gets paid and no one clicks anymore.