What if everything you know about Googling just changed overnight—and content creators everywhere started to panic?

Google has just dropped a bombshell that could reshape the entire internet as we know it. On Friday, Robby Stein, Google’s Vice President of Search Product, revealed that anyone can now access Google’s powerful new AI Mode simply by visiting google.com/ai. It’s not just a minor tweak—it’s a seismic shift in how we search for, interact with, and consume online information.

The plot thickened mere minutes later when Logan Kilpatrick, overseeing DeepMind, Gemini, and all Google’s AI products, jumped into the conversation on X (formerly Twitter). Responding to a user who suggested that AI Mode should become the default for all Google searches, Kilpatrick nonchalantly confirmed: that’s exactly what’s coming “soon.”

For publishers, news outlets, and anyone whose livelihood depends on website clicks, this isn’t just a tech update—this is DEFCON 1. For years, Google’s AI Overviews have already been siphoning away precious clicks, by serving users digestible summaries at the top of search results, stripping away the incentive to visit actual websites. But now, with AI generated newscast about Google’s AI Mode, Google’s chatbot will take center stage, offering users an interactive Q&A that leaves traditional links—and the content creators behind them—buried at the digital margins.

The irony is thick: the very complaint that ‘it’s too much effort to click one extra button’ is what’s about to doom countless publishers. Because with AI Mode set to become the default, even that last desperate click to reach the original article could vanish. Studies are already flashing red warning lights across the industry. Data from Similarweb shows that Business Insider’s search traffic plummeted by 55% between April 2022 and April 2025, while HuffPost’s dropped more than 50%. And for heavyweights like The New York Times, Condé Nast, and Vox, a recent Digital Content Next study found traffic from Google referrals plunged by as much as 25% in just eight weeks. The digital tide is shifting—and it’s not in favor of those who provide the original content.

So what does this all mean for the internet’s future? With AI generated newscast about Google’s AI Mode, Google is essentially serving up the CliffsNotes of the entire internet, while the creators and journalists who supply the knowledge are increasingly sidelined. Sure, there are survival strategies—subscriptions, licensing deals, and more. But make no mistake: if (or, let’s be real, when) Google’s AI Mode becomes the standard for billions worldwide, the very foundation of online publishing will be rocked to its core. This isn’t just a shake-up. It’s an all-out siege.