Patrick Boyle On Finance Is AI Slop Killing the Internet?
Sep 2, 2025
AI chatbots are revolutionizing how we search for information, but they're also threatening journalism's economic landscape. Traditional news sources are losing visibility and traffic to AI-driven tools. With the rise of uncredited content, the reliability of online information is at risk. This transformation raises critical questions about trust and authenticity. Amid these challenges, creators cling to the importance of integrity in their work, highlighting journalism's resilience in a shifting digital world.
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AI Tools Intercept Reader Traffic
- AI chatbots answer questions directly and divert users away from original sources.
- That interception undermines publishers' ability to monetize journalism by cutting referral traffic.
Search Visibility Has Collapsed
- News visibility in search results has collapsed since Google rolled out AI features.
- Specialist and mainstream publishers alike have seen dramatic drops in referral traffic.
User Behavior Is Shifting To AI
- Users prefer AI chat tools for speed, specificity, and ease, reducing traditional search use.
- Google and other search features accelerate that shift by returning direct AI answers on the results page.