Google’s AI-generated answers have gone from a novelty to the norm at remarkable speed, according to fresh market data.
Analysis from Similarweb shows AI Overviews now surface in 43% of searches, a sharp rise from just 15% a year earlier. As the report frames it, AI search is quickly becoming the default “whether users like it or not.”
Usage of Google’s dedicated AI Mode has also surged, with visits climbing from 126 million in June 2025 to 279 million by May 2026. People are increasingly typing longer, more conversational questions rather than short keyword strings.
Citations within AI responses have grown more than fivefold over the past year. By contrast, only 6.8% of U.S. ChatGPT desktop queries carried citations as of May 2026.
The shift is squeezing publishers, many of whom report losing referral traffic when AI answers satisfy users without sending them onward to source sites.
There are signs of recovery, however. Following a May 7 search update, ChatGPT referrals in the U.S. improved sharply, with webpage visits jumping from around 25% in March 2026 to nearly 60% by late May.
The broader tug-of-war over content is intensifying too. Cloudflare has rolled out tools that let publishers block AI crawlers unless companies pay for access through its marketplace.
Source: TechCrunch.
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