When Google first unveiled AI Overviews last March, the technology seemed poised to fundamentally reshape the landscape of search—then it started recommending glue as a pizza topping.
But one year later, AIOs are no longer a joke.
The product, which scrapes websites and uses the information to answer user queries at the top of the search page, threatens to send fewer people to publishers’ articles. In doing so, it could undermine one of the most fundamental ways in which media companies monetize their content.
Below are four of the most important takeaways from the first year of the technology, pulled from interviews with search experts, digital media executives, and data measurement firms.
AIOs are becoming more common
When Google rolled out AIOs to the public in May 2024, they initially appeared in around 10% of all queries, according to Brightedge data.
After
