Google has begun rolling out a new artificial intelligence (AI) search tool in the UK, marking a major shift in how users interact with the world’s most popular search engine.
The new feature, dubbed “AI Mode,” replaces traditional search result lists with conversational, AI-generated summaries that contain significantly fewer links to external websites. Users who opt into the feature will see direct, context-rich answers generated by Google’s Gemini AI model, rather than the familiar pages of blue hyperlinks.
Although the standard Google search will remain available, the move is part of the tech giant’s broader push toward integrating AI into its services — a trend that is already raising alarm among businesses, publishers, and digital marketers who depend heavily on traffic from Google search.
The change could disrupt the traditional web ecosystem, where businesses, retailers, and media outlets rely on being prominently featured in search results. Many also pay Google to appear in high-ranking advertising slots, a model that could be challenged if users are less likely to click through AI-generated summaries.
According to reports, the Daily Mail claims to have seen a 50% drop in referral traffic from Google since the launch of a similar AI feature, AI Overviews, earlier this year. Other publishers and online businesses have voiced concerns about declining visibility.
Hema Budaraju, Google’s product director for Search, acknowledged that the company had not yet finalized how advertising will be integrated into AI Mode. However, she pushed back against criticism that the tool reduces web engagement, arguing that the new interface will support more complex and natural user queries.
“These kinds of questions didn’t happen before,” she said. “Now you’ve made it really possible for people to express anything a lot more naturally.”
Google’s AI Mode is currently live in the U.S. and India, and its phased introduction in the UK is expected to reach most users within days. The feature will appear as a selectable tab and as an option within the standard search bar.
During a company demo, a query about strawberry picking options for families with young children returned a conversational response — but one that was geographically broad, and with external links positioned lower than in typical search results.
A study commissioned by campaign group Foxglove found that users clicked on links only once every 100 searches when AI summaries were present. Rosa Curling, Foxglove’s director, warned that AI-generated answers may be damaging news outlets by discouraging readers from clicking through to original articles, and thus weakening their advertising revenue.
“The summary keeps eyes on the Google page,” she said. “That’s a real concern for media organisations trying to survive.”
Google insists the Pew methodology used in the study is flawed and maintains it is exploring sustainable AI development. The company now generates more than two billion AI Overview responses daily, across more than 40 languages, though it has not yet launched the feature in the EU due to regulatory constraints.
Environmental concerns have also surfaced over the high energy and water consumption required to power AI data centres. Budaraju said Google remains committed to sustainability and is seeking energy-efficient methods to support AI growth.
As AI Mode reshapes how people search for and consume information online, publishers and businesses alike are bracing for potentially transformative — and challenging — changes.
