'One Of The Most Positive Changes': Google Chief Sundar Pichai Acknowledges News Publishers' Concerns Over AI Overviews In Search, But Remains Optimistic

Pichai said, "Ironically, there are times when we have made changes to actually send more traffic to the smaller sites. Some of those sites that complain a lot are the aggregators in the middle."

Google CEO Sundar Pichai has responded to the concerns of independent news websites and publishers regarding the newly introduced Google AI Overviews feature. During an interview with Nilay Patel from The Verge, Pichai addressed the apprehensions that surfaced following the announcement at the Google I/O 2024 developer conference on May 14.

Pichai acknowledged the rising worries but remained optimistic about the feature's impact, suggesting it could enhance user engagement and increase click-through rates.

What Is AI Overviews?

The AI Overviews feature, initially accessible to a select group through Search Labs, was expanded to a broader audience in the United States during the Google I/O event. This tool utilises Google's Gemini Large Language Model (LLM) to provide concise overviews of search queries along with relevant links.

The goal is to deliver information swiftly, which has sparked concerns among independent publishers who depend heavily on Google for web traffic. Some publishers have described the feature as potentially devastating for their traffic, according to The Verge.

Pichai's Take

Despite these concerns, Pichai asserted in his conversation with Patel that Google's internal data shows the AI Overviews feature boosts user engagement and click-through rates. Although specific metrics were not shared, Pichai emphasised Google's commitment to balancing the needs of websites with the provision of valuable content to users.

"I think users are looking for high-quality content,", Pichai said. "The counterintuitive part, which I think almost always plays out, is [that] it’s not a zero-sum game. People are responding very positively to AI Overviews. It’s one of the most positive changes I’ve seen in Search based on metrics. But people do jump off on it. And when you give context around it, they actually jump off it. It actually helps them understand, and so they engage with content underneath, too. In fact, if you put content and links within AI Overviews, they get higher clickthrough rates than if you put it outside of AI Overviews."

Contrary to the notion that Google's AI features are diverting traffic from independent sites, Pichai pointed out that traffic losses are more often due to aggregators. "Ironically, there are times when we have made changes to actually send more traffic to the smaller sites. Some of those sites that complain a lot are the aggregators in the middle," Pichai remarked.

Furthermore, Pichai highlighted the importance of human-created content, emphasising that user preferences and content quality remain crucial. He advocated for a careful yet optimistic approach to integrating AI in content creation, underscoring the need to support both AI advancements and the continued relevance of human-generated content.