While Google announced numerous features around artificial intelligence at its latest Google I/O event, many online newspaper publishers feared a massive loss of traffic in the coming weeks.
Unfortunately, it seems that this analysis seems to be confirmed, with already significant impacts that could herald the worst for certain news sites...
AI Mode: responsible for the end of news sites in Google?
According to a report published in the Wall Street Journal published this Tuesday, June 10, the first drops in traffic following the announcements at Google I/O are starting to be felt, and this could well be only the beginning...
Among the various features unveiled by Google during The event is primarily the AI Mode, which intervenes directly in search results, which would be called into question.
This feature follows previous Google updates, notably with the release of AI Overviews which has already impacted news sites. And if the announcement of AI Mode had the effect of a bomb, the first figures released are all the more worrying...
The New York Times, The Atlantic, Washington Post...: the American press threatened?
If the AI Mode feature is more present on the American continent, it is logical that the American press is the first to be impacted. The situation is all the more difficult given that a few weeks ago, in April, the New York Times had lost 36.5% of its traffic according to the Similarweb tool.
A significant loss, but not as massive as in 2022, where a 44% drop had already been recorded. While the press titles have not yet provided more concrete figures, the first consequences should be felt in the coming weeks.
Towards a new economic model for the press?
Faced with the successive traffic losses of many newspapers in the United States, the Wall Street Journal wants to develop a new economic model for the press. But while discussions are currently taking place between the WSJ and The Atlantic, no general business model has been announced.
In the French press, some titles like Le Monde have already taken the lead. Indeed, in March 2024, the newspaper surprised its colleagues by announcing an unprecedented partnership with OpenAI, before others followed the same path in the United States with Perplexity, such as The Atlantic.
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