The new search engine, announced at Google’s annual Google I/O developers conference, will prioritise AI-generated responses over traditional website links for complex queries or brainstorming sessions. This shift, set to commence in the U.S. this week before expanding globally, aims to enhance user experience by delivering quick and effective information summaries.

However, the increased reliance on AI in Google’s search engine heralds one of the most significant changes since the search engine’s inception. 

While Google CEO Sundar Pichai hailed the move as “bold and responsible,” acknowledging AI’s potential to enhance user assistance, it also poses challenges to the internet ecosystem.

With digital advertising as a primary revenue stream, Google risks undercutting its ad-based business model if AI overviews reduce clicks on traditional search engine ads. Likewise, website publishers face potential revenue losses if AI summaries decrease traffic to their sites.

Despite these concerns, Google remains optimistic about the benefits of AI-enhanced search. Liz Reid, overseeing Google’s search operations, emphasised that users typically transition from AI overviews to exploring deeper content on websites, suggesting continued innovation in balancing AI summaries with website traffic.

“Because they suddenly can ask questions that were too hard before,” she said. 

While the new AI overviews could potentially provoke contention especially if they draw away traffic and ad sales from websites that think the company is unfairly profiting from their content, it is a risk Google must take to stay competitive with rivals such as ChatGPT. 

“This bold and responsible approach is fundamental to delivering on our mission and making AI more helpful for everyone,” Google CEO Sundar Pichai said to a group of reporters.