Google executive says AI search will expand the web, not gut it

Google moved to counter rising anxiety over its AI-powered search tools on Thursday, with a senior executive insisting the technology would expand rather than erode the wider web ecosystem. Speaking at the Reuters NEXT conference in New York, Robby Stein, vice-president of product for Google Search, said concerns that AI-generated answers would drain traffic from publishers or destabilise Google’s advertising revenue were misplaced, as per Reuters.

Stein stated that Google continues to send billions of clicks to external websites every day and that outbound traffic has remained largely stable. He added that emerging user behaviours — from searches conducted via phone cameras to lengthy, multi-layered queries — were creating fresh opportunities and represented what he described as an expansionary phase for the internet.

He also sought to reassure investors worried that conversational AI might undermine Google’s advertising model. Stein likened the shift to the earlier transition from desktop to mobile, saying ads would evolve naturally within AI-based chat experiences and could remain useful, citing an example of targeted assistance for a user dealing with a raccoon problem. His remarks came as reports surfaced that rival OpenAI had issued a “code red” to accelerate improvements to ChatGPT amid intensifying competition from Google, whose parent Alphabet has enjoyed a nearly 67% share surge this year driven by cloud growth, new frontier models and viral tools such as its Nano Banana photo generator.

Stein argued that Google remained strongly aligned with the interests of web publishers, describing AI as a discovery engine designed to guide users towards deeper exploration and external sources. When asked whether a recent U.S. antitrust ruling that allowed Google to retain its Chrome browser had emboldened the company, he downplayed its relevance, saying innovation was being propelled primarily by model capability.

Publishers, however, remain wary. Google’s push into generative AI — particularly after a rocky start in 2023 — has prompted industry fears of declining referral traffic. Those concerns have been reinforced by a Pew Research study indicating that AI-generated summaries make users less inclined to click through to original sources.

Stein’s comments thus reflected Google’s dual challenge at Reuters NEXT: defending its AI ambitions while assuring both media organisations and Wall Street that its search and advertising foundations remain intact.