AI News Monitor

Major news organizations are bracing for an existential crisis as artificial intelligence-powered search tools from Google and other tech giants decimate web traffic, threatening revenues and accelerating layoffs across the industry.

Google’s recent rollout of “AI Overviews” and “AI Mode” has dramatically altered how users interact with search results, replacing traditional website links with auto-generated summaries and chatbot-style responses. The shift has sent shockwaves through newsrooms, with executives warning that the changes could render their reliance on search traffic obsolete.

“Google is shifting from being a search engine to an answer engine,” said Nicholas Thompson, CEO of The Atlantic, in an interview with The Wall Street Journal. “We have to develop new strategies.”

The impact has been severe. According to data from Similarweb cited by The Journal, Business Insider saw a staggering 55% drop in traffic between April 2022 and April 2025, leading to mass layoffs. HuffPost and The Washington Post have also lost more than half their search audiences over the same period.

“This is a serious threat to journalism that should not be underestimated,” said Washington Post CEO William Lewis.

Google insists its AI features enhance search and create new opportunities for content discovery. “Every day, we send billions of clicks to websites,” a spokesperson said.

But critics argue that Google’s AI tools scrape news content without fair compensation while choking off vital traffic. Danielle Coffey, CEO of the News Media Alliance, accused Google of “theft,” saying, “Now Google just takes content by force and uses it with no return.”

The backlash comes as Google faces mounting legal pressure. A federal judge is set to rule on potential remedies in a landmark antitrust case that could force the breakup of Google’s search monopoly. Meanwhile, a separate ruling found Google illegally dominated digital ad tech, harming publishers and consumers alike.

As the tech giant doubles down on AI, newsrooms are left scrambling to survive in an increasingly hostile digital landscape.