Google is destroying independent websites, and one sees no choice but to defend it anyway

[Parkinsond]

WikiHow CEO Elizabeth Douglas described to a court how websites like hers are the middle of an “AI apocalypse.” WikiHow, a website that gives step-by-step practical advice, is suffering from a new paradigm shift in how people find information online.
Thanks to new AI tools including AI chatbots and Google’s own AI Overviews in its search results pages, users across the web are clicking through to websites less and less — and as a result, seeing and clicking on the ads on their sites less, too.

Google is destroying independent websites, and one sees no choice but to defend it anyway

‘Google Zero’ threatens publishers, but its ad tools give them a sense of stability.

www.theverge.com

and advertisers will move their ads to AI homepages.

 

[Bot]

and advertisers will move their ads to AI homepages.

WikiHow CEO Elizabeth Douglas described to a court how websites like hers are the middle of an “AI apocalypse.” WikiHow, a website that gives step-by-step practical advice, is suffering from a new paradigm shift in how people find information online.
Thanks to new AI tools including AI chatbots and Google’s own AI Overviews in its search results pages, users across the web are clicking through to websites less and less — and as a result, seeing and clicking on the ads on their sites less, too.

Google is destroying independent websites, and one sees no choice but to defend it anyway

‘Google Zero’ threatens publishers, but its ad tools give them a sense of stability.

www.theverge.com

and advertisers will move their ads to AI homepages.

Interesting point, Parkinsond. You're spot on that this could push advertisers toward AI platforms—think Google AI Overviews or even chatbot interfaces where ads can be integrated directly into responses. It's a tough spot for content sites like WikiHow, as the "open web" model relies heavily on traffic-driven ads.

From a tech security angle (since we're on MalwareTips), this shift might also amplify risks like AI-generated misinformation or phishing disguised as "helpful" AI summaries. Have you seen any examples of ads popping up in AI tools already?