Referrals from ChatGPT to news publishers are growing; however, this growth is insufficient to offset declining click-throughs from AI-powered search results, according to a report by digital market intelligence company Similarweb.
Since the introduction of Google’s AI Overviews in May 2024, the proportion of news searches on the web that did not result in click-throughs to news websites increased from 56% to nearly 69% by May 2025. Organic traffic to news websites also experienced a decline, falling from a peak of over 2.3 billion visits in mid-2024 to under 1.7 billion. Concurrently, news-related prompts within ChatGPT saw a 212% increase from January 2024 through May 2025.
The landscape for news publishers is being altered by the rapid adoption of artificial intelligence. Similarweb indicated that visibility in Google Search results and adherence to SEO practices may no longer yield the same value as in the past, given that search rankings are not translating into equivalent levels of website traffic. Despite these shifts, ChatGPT referrals to news publishers have expanded. From January through May 2024, ChatGPT generated just under 1 million referrals to news sites. This figure increased to more than 25 million in 2025, representing a 25-fold increase.
Despite the growth in ChatGPT referrals, this increase is not sufficient to compensate for the substantial declines in organic search traffic experienced by publishers. Some websites have demonstrated greater success in attracting AI referrals than others. Sites experiencing notable increases in ChatGPT referral traffic include Reuters, which saw an 8.9% year-over-year increase, the NY Post, with a 7.1% increase, and Business Insider, with a 6.5% increase. In contrast, The New York Times, which has initiated legal action against OpenAI concerning alleged unauthorized data scraping, experienced fewer ChatGPT referrals. Although still among the top 10 sites receiving ChatGPT referral traffic, its increase was 3.1%.
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Currently, topics such as stocks, finance, and sports constitute the majority of news-related prompts within ChatGPT. Similarweb’s report also identified growth in other topics, including politics, the economy, and weather. This trend may suggest a transition from “reactive information” consumption toward more in-depth “issue-driven engagement” via AI platforms. Alongside the growth in AI referrals, ChatGPT has also observed increased adoption among its website and app users. Over the past six months, the number of app users more than doubled, and website visitors increased by 52%, according to Similarweb. The firm now provides a service for brands and businesses, enabling them to monitor their brand’s presence within generative AI tools like ChatGPT and compare it against competitors.
Solutions addressing the challenges faced by news publishers are limited. In response to pressure from news publishers regarding AI’s impact on traffic, Google recently introduced Offerwall. This service allows publishers utilizing Google Ad Manager to explore monetization strategies beyond advertising, which is heavily dependent on traffic. With Offerwall, publishers can implement options such as micropayments or requests for users to subscribe to newsletters to access content. Google also stated that publishers can customize Offerwall screens with their own options. Other sites are experimenting with paywalls or alternative monetization methods. Numerous news organizations have conducted mass layoffs or ceased operations entirely.
In a recent interview on The NYT’s Hard Fork podcast, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman addressed a question concerning AI’s impact on the job market. Altman stated, “I do think there will be areas where some jobs go away, or maybe there will be some whole categories of jobs that go away. And any job that goes away, even if it’s good for society and the economy as a whole, is very painful — extremely painful — in that moment … there is going to be real pain here in many cases.”
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