Reddit and a number of news publishers are reportedly considering severing ties with Google due to concerns that the search giant's AI-generated summaries are diminishing traffic to their sites. This move comes as publishers grapple with the economic impact of AI overviews appearing at the top of search results, often replacing links to original content.
Sources familiar with the matter told The Wall Street Journal that Reddit, which has a content partnership with Google allowing its data to train AI models, is debating the value of its $60 million annual agreement with the tech company. Similarly, USA Today, Politico, Reuters, and The Economist are evaluating their relationships with Google over the use of AI-generated "overviews."
"It's time to take a stand and say enough is enough," stated USA Today CEO Mike Reed. Data compiled by Semrush indicates a significant traffic drop for some publishers. Over the 12 months ending in June 2026, USA Today saw its traffic from U.S. Google users plummet by nearly half. Politico experienced a 23% decline, and Business Insider's traffic fell by more than 85%.
USA Today, which is already engaged in a lawsuit against Google alleging monopolistic practices in digital advertising technology, is contemplating blocking Google's access to its articles for AI training. This action would also prevent its content from appearing in Google's search results.
Politico, owned by Axel Springer, has reportedly discussed restricting Google's bots from accessing its non-paywalled articles. Reuters President Paul Bascobert acknowledged the ongoing evaluation, stating, "We are certainly looking at the economic trade-offs between search and AI summaries."
A Google spokesperson countered these criticisms, asserting that publishers have the ability to opt out of having their content used for training its Gemini AI models without removing themselves from standard search results. The spokesperson added that Google's AI features direct billions of clicks to the web weekly, catering to evolving user preferences and driving significant traffic to websites. "Our AI features highlight links to the web and help creators and publishers grow their audiences, and we offer clear controls for website owners to manage their content."
However, reports suggest Google is also pressuring publishers. In June, The Information reported that Google was pitching a pilot program to news outlets, offering them placement in AI Overviews in exchange for broad access to their content for AI training.