Google's AI Search Feature Sparks Controversy in Turkey Over Potential Traffic Loss for Publishers

Google's new 'AI Mode' feature, recently rolled out in Turkey, is generating significant concern among digital media organizations and content creators. The artificial intelligence-powered search tool, which provides summarized answers directly within search results, is feared to drastically reduce traffic to news websites and other online publishers.

Observations from the European Union, where the AI Mode has been active, indicate that some news sites have experienced visitor declines of up to 50% following its implementation. Experts anticipate a similar impact on Turkish digital media outlets.

The core issue stems from the AI Mode's ability to offer concise summaries, diminishing the need for users to click through to original source articles. This directly affects the visibility of news sites in search results and leads to substantial traffic losses.

Last year, Italian newspaper publishers formally requested an investigation into Google's AI summaries, arguing they were detrimental to their website traffic. The Italian Federation of Newspaper Publishers (FIEG) labeled Google's feature a "traffic killer" for publishers.

Google's introduction of this AI feature is seen as a strategic move to compete with the growing popularity of AI tools like OpenAI's ChatGPT. Google's search engine generated approximately $200 billion in revenue in 2024, accounting for over half of its total earnings. During an ongoing antitrust lawsuit in the United States, Apple executive Eddy Cue suggested that Google's search traffic might have declined for the first time in 22 years due to increased AI usage. Google, however, maintains that overall search queries continue to rise.