Is Google about to reshape—or ruin—the internet?
Google says its latest artificial intelligence upgrade to Search will revitalize the internet. But critics fear it could devastate the open web and change how we access online information forever. One thing is certain: a turning point for the internet is rapidly approaching. Welcome to what some are calling the dawn of the "machine web."
For decades, the internet has operated on a basic understanding—websites allow search engines like Google to index their content for free, and in return, Google drives users to those websites, helping them generate revenue through ads and sales. It’s a system that has sustained countless online businesses and independent content creators.
Roughly 68% of online activity begins on a search engine, and Google dominates with a 90% market share. If the web is a garden, Google has long been its source of sunlight. But this relationship may soon shift.
At Google’s developer conference on May 20, 2025, CEO Sundar Pichai unveiled a major update to Search—AI Mode, a new feature that promises a “total reimagining” of how people search online. Unlike existing AI Overviews that supplement traditional search results, AI Mode offers chatbot-style answers that often eliminate the need to click on links altogether.
Search experts warn that this could slash web traffic to independent publishers and news sites, upending the economic foundation of the open internet.
"If AI Mode becomes the default, it could drastically reduce the revenue of online publishers who depend on organic traffic,” says Lily Ray, SEO strategist at marketing firm Amsive. “Millions of websites could be affected. Google has all the power in this situation.”
Google, however, insists the new tools are beneficial. The company claims AI Mode will enhance the search experience, broaden the range of queries users can make, and still support content discovery.
“We send billions of clicks to websites daily, and that remains a priority,” a Google spokesperson told the BBC. “AI Mode opens new doors for people to find and engage with online content.”
Even so, there is widespread agreement that the look and function of the internet is about to change dramatically. Whether that’s good or bad remains to be seen.
Threat to the Open Web
While the internet isn’t going away, the way we navigate it is undergoing a seismic shift. Social media remains strong and subscription-based content is thriving, but it’s the “open web”—the vast space of freely accessible, independent websites—that some fear is endangered.
Such concerns aren’t new. In 2010, Wired magazine famously declared “The Web is Dead.” Since then, the rise of smartphones, apps, and social media has sparked similar predictions. But experts now warn that Google’s AI Mode is unlike any previous disruption.
“I wouldn’t say websites will go extinct,” says Barry Adams of SEO consultancy Polemic Digital. “But ‘decimated’ is the right word.”
Google disagrees. It maintains that AI Overviews have already increased engagement by leading users to a broader array of sites and encouraging deeper interaction with the content they click on. Still, it hasn’t released hard data to support these claims.
And while Google asserts that AI tools include source links, critics argue users are less likely to click on them if they get complete answers upfront. Data seems to back this up: some studies suggest click-through rates have dropped by 30% to 70% for certain types of queries. Meanwhile, over 60% of Google searches now reportedly end without a single link being clicked.
A Shrinking Revenue Stream
The concern is not just about declining traffic—it’s about a system-wide impact on how content is produced, distributed, and discovered. If AI Mode becomes the default search experience, it could double the decline in web traffic because traditional search results would disappear entirely.
"Clicks to the web from Google could be cut in half, even in a best-case scenario," says Adams. “For some online publishers, that difference could mean survival or bankruptcy.”
Gisele Navarro, editor of the product review site HouseFresh, says the shift is already hurting smaller sites. “We’re seeing our search impressions go up, but actual clicks are going down,” she says. “AI is answering users’ questions before they ever reach us.”
Navarro believes this trend threatens to shrink the diversity of content people can find online. “It’s like asking a librarian for a book and being told the summary instead,” she says. “That sense of the web as a public library is disappearing.”
Google says it’s committed to the web’s future. Nick Fox, senior VP of Search, recently said that the volume of web content has grown 45% over the past two years, not including spam, and that user engagement remains strong.
Yet many online businesses say the damage is already happening. Sites like HouseFresh that once relied on Google's algorithm for steady traffic are now struggling, as Google appears to prioritize big brands—and now, AI answers—over independent voices.
Navarro is blunt: “Google made the rules and rewarded players for years. Now they’re changing the game without warning. I think it will destroy the open web as we know it. Maybe it already has.”
Enter the Machine Web
What lies ahead is a new digital ecosystem that some are calling the "machine web"—a version of the internet where content is created for machines, not people, and users rely on AI summaries instead of browsing pages.
Demis Hassabis, head of Google DeepMind, predicts that publishers may soon prioritize feeding content directly into AI models, potentially bypassing traditional websites entirely.
That may create a streamlined, always-on information system. But it could also mean the end of spontaneous discovery—the rabbit holes, the unexpected gems, the diversity of thought that have defined the web for decades.
In a recent podcast, Sundar Pichai acknowledged the magnitude of change ahead. “Ultimately, it depends on what users want,” he said.
But Dame Wendy Hall, a pioneer of web science, offered a cautionary note: “I’m not worried because change is natural. Something new will come. But for many people, it might be too late by the time it arrives.”
Source: With inputs from BBC