As many publishers grapple with decreasing web traffic from Google, the tech giant has taken a giant leap in content presentation by incorporating AI summaries into Discover. This revolutionary feature, housed within Google's search applications for both iOS and Android platforms, is transitioning users from consuming just headlines by major publishers to browsing a medley of fresh news content, presented as summaries generated by Artificial Intelligence (AI).

Image Credits:Google

Currently, the feature is only available for a select few new stories in the Google app. But after running several tests, our team at TechCrunch was able to experience the AI summary feature on both iOS and Android platforms in the U.S. A representative from Google indicated that this is not just a trial run, but a full-fledged launch focusing on trending lifestyle topics for iOS and Android users in the U.S.

Google has been flexing its creative muscles, exploring different ways to present news in Discover, not necessarily powered by AI. They have even started moving towards clubbing similar stories and providing bullet points below headlines to highlight key takeaways from the story.

Image Credits:Google

It is interesting to note that several reputed publishers have been integrating AI into their content presentation strategies. Major players like The Wall Street Journal, Yahoo, Bloomberg, USA Today, and a few promising startups have jumped on the AI bandwagon to enhance user experience and engagement.

Within the publishing community, there's a sense of unease about the impact of Google's AI-centric shift on web traffic and referrals. This automatic content summarization trend needles the industry, as users are less likely to visit websites directly to get answers. Recently, Google attempted to pacify publishers by introducing a feature called Offerwall. It allows publishers to try out strategies to generate revenue beyond ads.

Despite these changes, traffic has taken a sharp downturn. Data indicates global search traffic dropped 15% YoY in June 2025. Sadly, the phenomenon isn't restricted to Google. Other AI apps such as ChatGPT or Perplexity reflect the same trend.