Google’s AI Overviews Reduce Clicks by 38%, Study Finds

A recent study discovered that Google’s AI Overviews significantly lower the number of clicks to external websites. When these AI summaries appear, organic clicks drop by 38%. Surprisingly, users report that their satisfaction with search results does not change whether the AI summaries are there or not.

The Study Details

This research was conducted by Saharsh Agarwal and Ananya Sen from the Indian School of Business and Carnegie Mellon University. They posted their findings in a working paper this month. It is the first study to test how AI Overviews affect user behavior in a real browsing environment.

How the Experiment Worked

The researchers created a Chrome extension to carry out their study. They randomly assigned 1,065 participants in the U.S. to three different groups:

1. Control Group: Participants saw Google Search as normal.
2. Hide AIO Group: In this group, the extension removed AI Overviews in real time.
3. AI Mode Group: This group was sent to Google’s AI Mode for all searches.

The study lasted for two weeks from January to February 2026. Most participants (over 95%) in the “Hide AIO” group did not notice any changes during this time.

What the Researchers Found

The study found that AI Overviews showed up in 42% of queries. When these AI summaries were removed, clicks to external websites increased from 0.38 to 0.61 per search. The presence of AI Overviews also caused the number of searches that did not lead to clicks (zero-click searches) to rise from 54% to 72%.

The impact was greatest when AI Overviews were at the top of the search results, which happened 85% of the time. Removing these top-position AI Overviews nearly doubled the number of outbound clicks.

User Experience

Participants rated their search experience using a 1-to-5 scale. The results showed that satisfaction levels were nearly the same for both the control group and the “Hide AIO” group. This means that removing AI Overviews did not improve the user experience.

The researchers concluded that AI Overviews “divert traffic away from publishers without delivering measurable improvements in user experience.”

Results from AI Mode

Participants who were sent to AI Mode had lower click rates and lower satisfaction compared to the other groups. This suggests that AI Mode may not be as effective.

Why This Matters

Previous measurements of AI Overviews’ impact on traffic mostly relied on correlations. For instance, Pew Research reported that users click only 8% of the time when AI Overviews are present, compared to 15% without them. Ahrefs found a 58% drop in the click-through rate for top-ranking pages when AI Overviews appeared.

This study is different because it randomly assigned users to see AI Overviews or not, allowing researchers to isolate the causal effects.

Looking Ahead

The paper is currently a draft on SSRN and has not been peer-reviewed. The authors plan to add more results and will provide updates if their findings change.

Conclusion

Overall, this study highlights the need to reconsider how AI Overviews impact user behavior and online traffic. While these features may aim to improve search efficiency, they seem to reduce clicks to valuable external content without enhancing user satisfaction.