Google Introduces Artificial Intelligence Summaries on Discover - All You Need to Understand
In a bid to streamline the consumption of news and lifestyle content, Google has introduced an AI Overview feature in its Discover feed. The new feature, which debuted in the U.S. in July 2025, generates AI-powered summaries of trending topics such as sports and entertainment directly within the Discover feed [1][2].
These summaries aggregate content from various publishers, displaying their logos and offering a brief snippet, with an option to "see more" to view all contributing articles [1]. The summaries come with a disclaimer stating that they are AI-generated and may contain errors [1][2].
However, the AI Overview feature has sparked concerns among publishers regarding potential traffic losses. Preliminary data suggests that around 64% of search results with AI Overviews result in no clicks to the source websites [1]. This trend could lead to a significant drop in clickthrough traffic for publishers, as users might find the AI-generated content sufficient without visiting the full articles.
Google maintains that the AI summaries are designed to help users decide which pages to visit. Yet, some publishers fear that the summaries effectively replace the need to click through, potentially impacting their web traffic and revenue [1].
In addition to the AI Overview feature, Google has also introduced Offerwall, a feature that allows publishers to offer their readers various ways to access content, including micropayments, surveys, and ads. Offerwall is intended to give publishers more control over how they make money [3].
It's important to note that the AI Overview feature is not appearing on all news stories within the Google app, and its frequency is currently unclear [1]. The feature has previously been implemented in Google search and more recently on YouTube, and its rollout in the U.S. follows its appearance in hundreds of countries worldwide [4].
Recent reports indicate a 15% year-on-year drop in global search traffic according to The Economist [5]. The impact of the AI Overview feature on this trend remains to be seen.
References: [1] 9to5Google (2025). Google's AI-generated news summaries coming to Google Discover. [online] Available at: https://9to5google.com/2025/07/01/google-ai-news-summaries-discover/ [2] The Verge (2025). Google's AI-generated news summaries coming to Google Discover. [online] Available at: https://www.theverge.com/2025/07/01/23737629/google-ai-news-summaries-discover-feed [3] TechCrunch (2025). Google's Offerwall gives publishers more control over how they make money. [online] Available at: https://techcrunch.com/2025/07/01/googles-offerwall-gives-publishers-more-control-over-how-they-make-money/ [4] The Information (2025). Google expands AI-generated news summaries to Discover feed. [online] Available at: https://www.theinformation.com/articles/google-expands-ai-generated-news-summaries-to-discover-feed [5] The Economist (2025). Global search traffic declines by 15%. [online] Available at: https://www.economist.com/business/2025/07/01/global-search-traffic-declines-by-15
The AI Overview feature, a new addition to Google's Discover feed, generates summaries of trending topics using artificial intelligence, potentially impacting the web traffic and revenue of publishers. Simultaneously, Google's Offerwall feature, launched concurrently, aims to empower publishers by allowing them to offer various methods for readers to access content, including micropayments and ads.
