Google AI Overviews Driving More Traffic

Google’s Chief Executive, Sundar Pichai, has defended the company’s AI Overviews feature amid concerns about its impact on the wider web.

In a recent interview, Pichai claimed that AI Overviews is not damaging to the online ecosystem, despite growing criticism from publishers and some users.

He stated that the new tool is actually driving more traffic to a broader range of websites, suggesting that it helps users discover content they might not otherwise find.

Pichai emphasised that Google remains committed to supporting the health of the web and intends for AI features to complement existing search results rather than replace them.

He added that the company anticipates AI Mode will continue directing even more traffic towards third-party sites in the future.

However, this assertion was questioned during the interview, with the interviewer suggesting that the reality might not match Google’s internal expectations.

The exchange highlighted a possible disconnect between Google’s leadership and public sentiment, with some critics claiming Pichai appeared out of touch with the concerns of smaller content creators.

Many publishers have expressed anxiety about how AI Overviews might reduce their visibility in search, potentially undermining their revenue from web traffic.

Despite these worries, Google continues to roll out AI-driven features as part of its long-term search evolution strategy.

The company argues that user experience and broader access to useful content remain top priorities as it experiments with new technologies.

AI Agents Remove Customer Relationship Opportunities

Ecommerce could soon undergo a major shift with the rise of AI agents capable of researching and making purchase decisions on behalf of consumers. This emerging trend has prompted concerns among some merchants, who worry that such technology may diminish their ability to upsell or build long-term relationships with customers.

Traditionally, retailers engage with customers in various ways—encouraging them to sign up for emails, receive texts about sales, use discount codes, or leave product reviews. These touchpoints help foster brand loyalty and repeat business—something that may be lost when AI handles the interaction instead of a human.

In response to these concerns, Google CEO Sundar Pichai shared his perspective. He argued that AI agents could actually enhance the user experience and compared their role to that of credit card companies. Just as merchants accept fees from card issuers to drive more business, he believes they might similarly accept AI agents if they deliver value.

Pichai went on to say he envisions several models in which this could work. One idea is that consumers might subscribe to AI agents, and in return, those agents could share revenue with merchants—creating a win-win scenario. He acknowledged that the future is uncertain but stressed the potential benefits.

He explained that when friction is removed and the customer experience improves, people tend to adopt those solutions. Over time, this could lead to new ways for businesses to engage with AI while still growing their brand and customer base.

Pichai used the example of retailers, highlighting that many brands still choose to sell through third-party sellers rather than directly to consumers. This is because retailers add value, even if they sit between the brand and the buyer.

Similarly, merchants accept credit card fees because the convenience leads to more transactions. Though it might not be a perfect comparison, he believes the same principle could apply to AI agents: the perceived cost is outweighed by the business gained.

Overall, Pichai expressed optimism that the ecommerce industry will adapt and find balance, as it has with other technological changes in the past.

Pichai Claims That Web Ecosystem Is Growing

In a recent interview, the topic shifted to the broader web ecosystem, specifically the potential “downstream” effects of AI-powered search and search agents on websites and online information providers.

When asked about this, Google CEO Sundar Pichai responded by diverting the conversation towards video content, a tactic he has used before in similar interviews. Rather than focusing solely on the web, he highlighted the popularity of platforms like YouTube, suggesting that people are consuming more content across different formats.

Pichai argued that the web is not in decline. He pointed out that the number of web pages indexed by Google has increased by 45% in the last two years. He claimed this growth does not come from AI-generated content and used it to support the idea that the web is thriving, not dying.

He elaborated by saying that people now create and consume more content than ever, suggesting that content creation is expanding, not contracting. He mentioned that the prediction of the web’s decline has been around for a long time but continues to be proven wrong.

However, the interviewer challenged Pichai’s claim, asking whether Google is able to determine if the increase in web pages is due to AI-generated content. Pichai appeared caught off guard by the question and initially struggled to respond.

Eventually, he said that Google has various techniques for assessing the quality of content, including detecting machine-generated material. He maintained his position that the web ecosystem is growing and quickly moved on to other points.

Pichai then explained how the way we produce and consume content is evolving. He stated that creators now work across multiple platforms and formats, and this flexibility is becoming more common.

He also suggested that AI will soon make it effortless to shift content from one format to another. With the help of multimodal AI models, content could be adapted just like translating between different languages, allowing seamless movement between formats.

Pichai believes this shift represents a major opportunity. He concluded by saying that content creation and consumption are both increasing, and that Google’s own data supports this trend. According to him, the web is not in decline, but rather undergoing a transformation.

Search Traffic and Referral Patterns

During the interview, Sundar Pichai was asked how he would respond to claims that AI Overviews are damaging businesses. In particular, some website owners feel the new feature is undermining their traffic and revenue.

Pichai defended Google’s approach, stating that AI Mode will continue to include sources and that the company is committed to supporting the wider web. He explained that one of the main reasons people use Google is because it helps them explore a wide range of content and navigate towards what interests them.

He emphasised that Google’s role is to provide users with more context and that while some queries may be directly answered by AI, the general trend is one of increasing diversity in the sites being visited. According to him, this pattern has been evident over the past year and he expects it to continue with AI Mode.

The interviewer, however, pushed back, suggesting that if Pichai’s claims were entirely accurate, there wouldn’t be such widespread frustration and criticism from online publishers and business owners.

Pichai brushed off the challenge by pointing out that such debates around value and traffic are not new. He argued that no other company drives traffic to the web on the scale that Google does.

The conversation reflects ongoing tension between Google and content creators, many of whom are worried about how AI might affect the visibility of their work online.