Google's AI search summaries cause traffic loss for Turkish news publishers
Google launched its AI-powered search summarization feature in Turkey, where it automatically generates text responses to queries on the search results page. Turkish news publishers report this causes significant traffic losses similar to declines observed in Europe, where some outlets experienced 50 percent traffic drops, while the European Commission investigates the feature.
What happened
Google deployed an AI-powered search feature in Turkey that provides automatic summaries of search results rather than directing users to source websites. In the new system, Google's AI generates detailed text responses to search queries on the search results page itself, reducing user need to click through to original content.
The feature shows sources only as small links while presenting the full information summary directly to users. Some AI responses in the system do not align precisely with the search query, according to reporting.
Reported impact
News publishers in Turkey report the AI search feature causes significant traffic losses. In Europe, some publishers report traffic declines of approximately 50 percent due to the same feature.
The feature deprioritizes news sites in search results while elevating official websites, social media accounts, and some smaller content producers. Google has also made similar updates to its 'Discover' section, increasing visibility for social media accounts at the expense of news site visibility.
Index analysis
The AI search system operates by default without requiring users to select a separate 'AI mode,' applying AI-generated responses automatically to certain searches. The system presents comprehensive text summaries alongside minimal source attribution.
Governance controls
The European Commission is conducting a comprehensive investigation into the feature due to traffic losses experienced by publishers. Google refuses to pay compensation to news publishers for the feature, according to reporting.
Classification
Sources and evidence
This record was researched and written by the Index, based on the following original reporting.