Google AI Mode reduces publisher traffic and user trust, study finds

A research study conducted by the University of Pennsylvania and Northeastern University suggests that Google’s AI Mode negatively impacts both user experience and publisher traffic. The study, which involved a field experiment with over 1,100 participants, found that forcing searches into AI Mode reduced external clicks to publisher websites by 18.8 percentage points compared to standard Google Search.

Contrary to claims by Google leadership that AI features increase engagement with the open web, the researchers observed that AI Mode led to lower trust in information and fewer daily search sessions. While users spent more time in AI-mediated sessions, this increased duration did not translate into higher engagement with external sites. The findings indicate that the AI-driven interface may push users toward rival search engines and reduce the referral traffic that digital marketers and website owners rely on.