Twitter co-founder and Block CEO Jack Dorsey is not only working on new social apps like Bitchat and Sun Day, Read more
For the past 18 months, Rivian and Google engineers have been working together on a new project that is now Read more
Humans have found it hard to quit fossil fuels, which is why some argue that we’ll soon need to start Read more
Coal-fired power plants have made quite a mess over the past century. From climate change to health issues, they haven't Read more
As publishers worry about dwindling traffic from Google, the tech giant has started implementing AI summaries in Discover, the primary news feed in Google’s search app on iOS and Android. Instead of just a headline, users now see multiple news publishers’ logos followed by an AI-generated summary referencing those sources.
### AI Summaries in Action
The app cautions that these summaries are AI-generated, which means there may be mistakes. This feature is not yet available for all news stories within the Google app, but in tests, TechCrunch was able to see the AI summaries firsthand on both iOS and Android apps in the U.S.
### U.S. Launch of AI Summaries
Google confirmed that this is not a test but a U.S. launch. The feature will focus on trending lifestyle topics like sports and entertainment, making it easier for users to choose which pages to visit.
### Impact on Publishers
Despite Google’s efforts to ease publishers’ concerns with features like Offerwall, there is still significant worry in the publishing industry about the impact of AI on website traffic and referrals. With tools like Google’s AI Overviews and AI Mode, users can get answers to their search queries without visiting a website directly, affecting traffic significantly.
It’s clear that the shift to AI is changing the landscape for publishers, and Google Discover’s AI summaries may further impact traffic from Google Search. In a rapidly evolving digital world, publishers must adapt to these changes to stay relevant and maintain their audience.
