The rise of AI search results has significantly impacted news publishers’ traffic. A report by Similarweb reveals that the number of news searches resulting in no click-throughs to news websites has grown from 56% to nearly 69% since Google’s AI Overviews were launched in May 2024. Organic traffic has also declined, dropping to under 1.7 billion visits.
However, another trend is emerging – ChatGPT referrals to news publishers are growing, with a 25x increase from January 2024 to over 25 million in 2025. This growth is largely attributed to the rapid adoption of AI by users, who increasingly rely on AI-powered search results and chatbots like ChatGPT for their news.
While this growth may seem promising, it’s not enough to offset the losses experienced by news publishers. The report notes that some websites are performing better than others when it comes to AI referrals, with Reuters, NY Post, and Business Insider seeing notable increases in traffic.
Despite this growth, Google is exploring solutions to support news publishers, including Offerwall, a service that allows publishers to experiment with alternative monetization methods beyond traditional ads. Other sites are experimenting with paywalls or other means of monetization, although many have been forced to conduct mass layoffs or shut down operations due to declining traffic.
As AI continues to evolve and transform the way we consume news, it’s clear that changes will be needed for news publishers to adapt and thrive in this new landscape.
Source: https://techcrunch.com/2025/07/02