In a recent interview, Google CEO Sundar Pichai sidestepped questions about whether the company would provide website owners with more granular data on traffic from AI-generated search previews.
As Google continues to integrate AI overviews, or “AI previews,” into its search results, publishers have grown increasingly concerned about the impact on their click-through rates and overall traffic.
Google could alleviate some concerns by breaking out traffic metrics for AI-generated results separately from traditional search clicks.
However, the company won’t commit to providing that data.
Pichai Dodges Direct Question
When pressed by The Verge on whether Google would commit to providing this data breakdown to publishers, Pichai avoided giving a straight answer.
“It’s a good question for the search team. They think about this at a deeper level than I do,” he said, deflecting responsibility.
The CEO suggested that Google needs to provide a “balance” in its data, arguing that website owners might try to game the system if it provides too many specifics.
” The more we spec it out, then the more people design for that,” he claimed.
Lack Of Transparency Fuels Publisher Frustration
Google’s lack of commitment to transparency will likely frustrate publishers who feel they have a right to know how much of their traffic is affected by Google’s AI implementations.
