Google AI Overview: The Silent Taking of Content Creators’ Work
Growing up at the Coastal city of Mombasa, my class teacher Mrs. Muthiora always told us that sharing is caring. But what do you do when someone bigger takes your toys and doesn’t really share back? The feeling of helplessness, hopelessness, a quiet ache of being lost, powerless to change the course of things. It’s not just despair, it is the realization that you have no control. This is a story about something happening on the internet that reminds me of that feeling.
What is Google AI Overview?
Google has a new friend called AI Overview. This friend looks at all the wonderful stories and information people share on the internet. Then, instead of sending people to visit these stories, Google’s AI friend tells people the answers itself.
Not bad? Imagine you worked really hard to build a lemonade stand. You squeezed lemons, added sugar, and made signs. But then, a big truck parks right in front of your stand. The truck driver reads your lemonade recipe and starts giving away similar lemonade for free, while showing pictures of other things people can buy from the truck driver’s friends.
Why Content Creators Feel Lost
Most content creators and bloggers feel like Google isn’t being fair. These content creators spend lots of time:
- Learning about topics
- Writing helpful information
- Making their websites functional and up to date
- Answering questions people have
When people visit their websites, content creators can show small ads or affiliate to make money. You know, a pence for a day’s work, where sweat meets silence and dreams wait till tomorrow. This money helps them keep making more helpful information. It’s like getting paid for the lemonade you made, fair?
Traffic Means Money
I believe that website visitors are literally worth money to content creators, and Google’s AI Overview is directly taking that money away.
Here’s how it works: When someone searches for information online and clicks through to visit a website, that creator can earn money through advertisements displayed on their pages. Every visitor represents potential income. It’s similar to how a store needs customers to walk through its doors to make sales.
What Google’s AI Overview does is intercept these potential visitors. Instead of sending people to the websites that originally created the information, Google keeps users on its own search page by displaying AI-generated summaries right at the top of the results. These summaries contain the key information people are looking for, removing any need to visit the original source.
I’ve been wandering through too many Reddit threads lately—digital campfires where creators gather to share their stories—and what I’ve seen is deeply unsettling.
One post stood out. The original poster linked to a heartfelt piece by Amanda, a travel blogger whose story echoes a growing concern among creatives. Amanda didn’t just lose website traffic; she lost 40% of her livelihood – a blow not just to stats, but to the soul of her work. Her blog wasn’t just a side hustle. It was her income, her rhythm, her roof.
Her story isn’t unique, and that’s the most haunting part. Google’s AI shifts aren’t just changing search results—they’re quietly unmaking the digital homes people have spent years building.
Read Amanda’s story here:
How Google and AI are killing travel blogs like mine
Google’s Two Different Rules
The funny thing is that Google has told website makers for years that they shouldn’t just copy other people’s work or use artificial intelligence (AI) to write content. Google said this wasn’t fair and wouldn’t be allowed. They do actually punish you for it!
But now, Google’s AI Overview does something very similar. It takes information from many websites and creates new answers without sending people to visit the original websites that created, wrote, and published the information
Citations Are Not The Same As Visits
Google says it’s okay because they give “citations” – that means they tell you where the information came from. But citations don’t help content creators like page visits do.
It’s like as if someone copied your drawing, showed it to everyone, and just wrote your name really small at the bottom. You’d rather have people come see your original drawing in your art show, wouldn’t you?
Why This Matters To Everyone
If content creators can’t make enough money from their hard work, many might stop making new and helpful information. Then, Google’s AI would have less good information to learn from in the future.
For businesses looking to grow online, partners like Exmas International Solutions help navigate these challenges. They understand how important it is to still get visitors to your website, even with these new changes!
The Growing Legal Questions
The battle against Google’s AI practices isn’t just being fought in the court of public opinion—it’s heading to actual courtrooms too.
In February 2025, an educational technology company Chegg filed what many consider a groundbreaking lawsuit against Google. According to Reuters, this company claimed that Google’s AI previews were actively “eroding the internet” by diverting traffic away from original content creators. This lawsuit is particularly significant because it’s believed to be the first legal case directly challenging Google’s AI Overview practices, following similar concerns raised by the news industry back in 2023.
The Department of Justice has already been investigating Google for potential antitrust violations related to its dominance in search and advertising. These investigations examine whether Google has too much control over how information reaches the public and whether it’s using that power unfairly.
Google’s behavior creates what they some sort of a “strange paradox.” On one hand, Google penalizes websites that use AI to generate content or copy from other sources. But on the other hand, Google itself is using AI to summarize and display content created by others—often without sending traffic to those original creators.
The European Commission has been even more aggressive under its Digital Markets Act (DMA), which specifically targets large tech companies like Google. The DMA requires these “gatekeepers” to maintain fair practices that don’t harm smaller competitors or content creators. Several European publishers’ associations have filed formal complaints alleging that Google’s AI Overview violates these rules.
Imagine if someone opened a museum where they displayed perfect photographs of all the paintings from other museums, then charged admission and showed ads, but never paid the original museums or artists. That’s essentially what’s happening here in digital form.
What Might Happen Next?
I think Google needs to make some major changes to how its AI Overview works. This isn’t just what “people who care about the internet” believe – it’s my personal opinion after seeing how content creators are being treated. Here’s what I believe Google should be required to do:
First, they need to share the advertising money they make when using other people’s content in AI Overview. When Google makes billions from ads placed next to summaries of someone else’s hard work, those creators deserve a cut of that revenue.
Second, Google should make the links to original websites much more prominent. Right now, those tiny citations are practically invisible compared to the AI-generated answer that dominates the screen. If Google is going to use someone’s content, they should at least make it easy for users to visit the original source.
Third, Google must ask permission before using content in AI Overview. Imagine if someone took your research paper, rewrote it slightly, and then presented it to the class as their own work – but with your name in tiny print at the bottom. That’s essentially what Google is doing to millions of websites.
Finally, I believe Google should create a fair compensation system. When AI Overview uses information from a website, that site’s owner should receive payment based on how much of their content was used and how many people viewed it.
The European courts might hopefully force Google to make these changes, or Google might realize that alienating content creators will ultimately hurt their own business. Either way, something has to change if we want to preserve the internet as a place where original content is valued and creators can earn a living.
How To Protect Your Content
I believe content creators shouldn’t just wait for Google to change. Based on my research and conversations with digital marketing experts, here are strategies I think work best to protect your online content:
First, focus on creating material that’s so unique and valuable that people will seek out your website regardless of AI Overview. Generic content gets summarized and forgotten, but truly original perspectives and deep expertise still attract direct visitors.
Second, I recommend working with specialists like those at Exmas International Solutions who understand the technical aspects of search engine optimization. They can help structure your website in ways that maintain visibility even as Google’s algorithms evolve.
Third, I strongly suggest joining forces with other content creators. Individual voices might go unheard, but collective action through professional associations and advocacy groups can influence both corporate decisions and potential regulations.
Fourth, I think it’s essential to diversify your traffic sources across multiple platforms. Don’t make Google your only gateway to audiences. TikTok’s short-form videos can showcase your expertise in engaging ways. Instagram and Pinterest are perfect for visual content that drives traffic back to your site. Facebook groups can build communities around your content niche. YouTube videos rank in their own search ecosystem, often appearing above Google’s AI Overview box. Even considering Google PPC (pay-per-click) advertising might be worthwhile – at least then you’re choosing to pay Google directly rather than having them take your content for free.
In my opinion, the creators who will thrive despite AI Overview are those who adapt their strategies without compromising their unique value. The internet has changed before, and those who understand the new landscape will find ways to navigate it successfully.
Remember The Human Touch
I strongly believe that AI can never truly replace the human connection in content. This isn’t just wishful thinking – I’ve seen proof, the comment section most of the time is better than the content, Humans 1 – AI 0.
When I analyze successful websites that continue to thrive despite AI Overview, I notice they all share something special: they connect with readers on a personal level that algorithms simply cannot duplicate. People crave authentic voices and perspectives that make them feel understood and valued.
In my analysis, websites that incorporate personal stories, unique insights, and genuine expertise will continue to attract dedicated audiences. Even when Google’s AI attempts to summarize this content, it often fails to capture the nuance, emotion, and lived experience that makes human-created content so compelling.
I believe the content creators who embrace their humanity rather than trying to compete with AI on its terms will build the most sustainable online presence. The future of the internet isn’t just about information – it’s about connection, community, and the unmistakable human touch that no algorithm can truly replicate.
The Silent Surrender
It’s sad that the majority of content creators have accepted this fate. Walking through this digital landscape, I’m reminded of this analogy Mr. Owiti told me about this old manufacturing company. The craftsmen would source materials, pour their hearts into creating pieces of timeless wonder, and functional, only to have larger companies dictate unfair terms that barely covered costs.
What we’re witnessing now feels hauntingly similar. Content creators are like those suppliers supplying Gooogle with what is required to build their own products, and then watching as Google refuses to properly compensate them – the very creators whose work powers their AI Overview.
This collective surrender feels like watching a slow erosion of the creative ecosystem that once made the internet a place of discovery and connection. Each acceptance, each quiet closing of a once-thriving website, leaves us with fewer authentic voices and more algorithmic echoes.
For the businesses fighting to maintain visibility, partners like Exmas International Solutions offer not just technical guidance but something equally valuable – recognition that what’s happening isn’t right, and strategies to help weather this challenging transition.
The Cost of Convenience
There’s a hidden price we pay for the convenience of instant answers. When I was small, I and my childhood friend Martin, would go to the national library every Saturday. The librarians knew every book on the shelves and would guide us through adventures in distant worlds with a patience that no algorithm could match.
Now, as I’m watching generation grow up in a world where knowledge is served in pre-digested snippets, I wonder what they’re missing. The journey of discovery – the side paths and unexpected treasures found while searching for something else – these experiences shape not just what we know, but how we think.
Google’s AI Overview offers answers, but at what cost to the rich tapestry of human knowledge-sharing that once defined our online experience? When we bypass the creators, we lose not just their content, but their context, their passion, and their unique perspective.
The Ecosystem at Risk
Think of the internet as a forest, where each website is a different type of tree providing shelter and nourishment for various creatures. When the largest trees begin taking all the sunlight and water, the forest floor grows barren. Eventually, even the giants will suffer when the ecosystem they depend on withers away.
Similarly, if independent creators can no longer sustain themselves, the diversity of information online will diminish. Google depends on a healthy ecosystem of original content – the very ecosystem its practices may be endangering.
Attention: The New Digital Currency
In the quiet of early morning, as I watch the sun rise over my apartment, I often think about what truly drives our online world. The answer reveals itself in the gentle ping of notifications and the subtle pull I feel toward my devices: attention is the new currency of our age.
Like an invisible river flowing through our lives, attention carries immense value. We spend it carefully, investing it in experiences and information that matter to us. But in today’s digital landscape, Google has positioned itself as the dam controlling this river’s flow.
For example, a local bakery owner whose business had thrived for decades through word-of-mouth and community connection. Her website, filled with family recipes and stories behind her creations, once brought a steady stream of new customers. Now, those seeking “best sourdough bread nearby” rarely make it past Google’s AI Overview box.
People’s attention is finite, and when Google captures it at the very top of the search results, there’s nothing left for the creator, once we lose the creator, we lose the backbone of what we call life.
This monopolization of attention isn’t merely an inconvenience—it represents a fundamental shift in how value is distributed online. When Google keeps users’ eyes on its own platform rather than directing them to original sources, it’s essentially collecting this precious currency for itself while creating an artificial scarcity for everyone else.
For content creators, especially small businesses without massive marketing budgets, this attention drought can be devastating. It’s as though they’re trying to farm in increasingly arid conditions while watching the rain clouds gather exclusively over Google’s fields.
Finding Our Voice Again
Perhaps what we need isn’t just technical solutions or legal remedies, but a collective rediscovery of our voices. When the printing press was invented, it democratized knowledge in ways previously unimaginable. The internet promised a similar revolution – anyone could share their thoughts with the world.
That promise feels increasingly distant when a single gatekeeper can determine not just who gets heard, but whether creators get to speak directly to their audience at all.
I believe we stand at a crossroads. We can accept the current path, where convenience trumps connection and algorithms increasingly mediate our relationship with information. Or we can choose a different path – one that values the human stories behind the content and recognizes that true innovation comes not from extraction but from fair exchange.
Final Thoughts
The story of Google AI Overview reminds me of learning to share on the playground. Sometimes, the biggest kids need to remember that taking isn’t the same as sharing. For the internet to be a happy place where new ideas grow, everyone needs to feel that their hard work matters.
Perhaps there’s still time for a different ending to this story. One where we recognize that true innovation doesn’t come from extracting value without fair exchange, but from nurturing the very creators whose insights and experiences make the digital world worth exploring.
As we move forward in this changing digital world, finding balance between new AI tools and supporting human creativity will be one of our biggest challenges – but also our greatest opportunity to build an internet that’s fair for everyone. And through it all, partners like Exmas International Solutions will continue helping businesses navigate these waters with integrity and wisdom.
