Chatbots from companies like OpenAI and Google are severely affecting traffic to publishers‘ websites, according to new data from the content licensing platform TollBit. The analysis reveals that AI chatbots generate 96 percent less traffic to publishers compared to traditional search engines.
During the fourth quarter of 2024, bots from AI companies scraped content from 160 news and blogging publishers an average of two million times. Each page received an average of seven scrapes, effectively resulting in a click-stealing scheme that denies publishers ad revenue, as bot clicks do not yield income for advertisers.
While AI chatbots provide links to original sources, they also summarize the information, reducing the need for users to visit those links. This has raised concerns among publishers regarding their financial stability.
For instance, Chegg, a textbook marketplace turned edtech company, is experiencing significant financial strain due to its content being repurposed by AI. The company has filed a lawsuit against Google, claiming that its ad revenue has been