Google's AI Overviews now appear in 43% of all searches

New data shows Google's AI-generated search summaries, AI Overviews, now appear in 43% of searches. The figure underscores how quickly AI-generated answers are becoming the default way people discover information online.

Why it matters: This scale shift has major implications for the open web's traffic model, since AI Overviews can answer queries without users clicking through to source websites, intensifying concerns from publishers already navigating declining referral traffic. It also cements Google's lead in embedding AI directly into its core product versus standalone chatbots.