Have you ever opened Google, typed in a breaking news keyword, and realized that the familiar "news box"—once the go-to destination for everyone seeking news—has vanished? Not because there is no news. But because something else has taken its place.
For nearly a decade, the News Box—also known as Top Stories—was the highest reward a publication could win on Google. It sat right at the top of the results page, catching users' eyes even before the familiar blue links. Winning that position meant securing massive traffic, a steady ad revenue stream, and an irreplaceable standing in the battle for attention.
However, according to a newly published study, the News Box is being pushed to the sidelines by AI Overviews. And the speed of this shift is so fast that it has startled even the most close watchers.
Let me, SilverZ, dissect this study from its roots. Because behind the numbers is the story of an industry being reshaped, and of lessons that anyone working in digital content needs to understand.
What the Study Says: 10 Months, a Quiet Coup
The study was conducted using data from the Trisolute News Dashboard, tracking Google SERPs in the US between October 2025 and August 2026. This is not a small, isolated survey. It is a systematic analysis of millions of result pages, focusing on News Box types such as "Top Stories" and "Also in the news."
The results are staggering:
- October 2025: 75% of Google SERPs contained only the News Box, while only 5% contained only an AI Overview.
- August 2026: The share of SERPs with only the News Box dropped to 34%, while the share of SERPs with only an AI Overview surged to 33%.
Let those numbers sink in. In less than a year, the proportion of SERPs with only the News Box dropped by 41 percentage points, while the proportion with only an AI Overview increased by 28 percentage points. This is not a gradual change. This is a quiet coup, happening day by day, week by week, until people realized everything had changed far too much.
And what is even more notable is that when both features appeared together, AI Overviews ranked above the News Box up to 96% on desktop and 87% on mobile. In other words, even when the News Box is still "alive," it is pushed down into the area users have to scroll to see—a position that anyone in SEO knows is almost invisible.
Why Is This So Important?
The News Box is not just a UI block. It is the gateway to journalism on Google Search.
When a user searches for a current news event, the News Box provides a series of articles from various sources, sorted by relevance and credibility. Users see headlines, recognize brands, and decide to click. That is how newsrooms build audiences, attract advertising, and sustain their existence.
AI Overviews completely change that equation. Instead of offering a list of choices, they summarize the answer right on the results page. Users can read the basic information without clicking any links at all. And when they do decide to click, it is usually because they want to "dig deeper"—a behavior far less common than simply needing to know "what happened."
Research from Carnegie Mellon University and the Indian School of Business has quantified this impact: AI Overviews reduce outbound clicks to publisher pages by 39.8%. And according to data from Digital Content Next, traffic from Google to top news publishers fell by 22% during the same eight-week period in 2026 compared to 2025—a much sharper decline than the 10% drop the previous year.
These numbers are not just statistics. They are lost revenue, shrinking newsrooms, and investigative articles that never get written because no one is paying for them.
Mobile and Desktop: Notable Differences
The study also found an interesting difference between the two platforms. Throughout the study period, AI Overviews appeared more frequently on desktop. And when both features were present, the ranking gap between AI Overviews and the News Box on desktop was larger than on mobile.
This suggests that Google is testing and rolling out AI Overviews more cautiously on mobile—perhaps because small-screen user experiences differ, or because Google wants to gather more data before a full rollout. But the general trend is unmistakable: AI Overviews are increasingly dominating across all platforms.
Beyond the News Box: The Bigger Picture of the Impact on Publishers
The disappearance of the News Box is just one piece of a much larger puzzle. Throughout 2026, publishers worldwide reported traffic drops ranging from 20% to 60% since Google expanded AI Overviews to most search queries.
Major news organizations recorded a 15-30% decline in search traffic. Small and mid-sized independent publishers suffered even more severely, with some reporting Google traffic dropping by more than half compared to the same period last year. Tech news sites and specialized content recorded drops of up to 60% in certain niches.
And this happens even as Google continually insists that AI Overviews are designed to "help people discover high-quality content" and "send traffic to publishers." The gap between promise and reality is widening, and publishers are paying the price with their very survival.
How Are Publishers Responding?
Facing such a systemic threat, publishers are not sitting idly by. They are testing various strategies, from defense to offense.
First, they are scaling paid subscription models. When search traffic becomes volatile, building a loyal audience willing to pay becomes a matter of survival. Outlets like The New York Times, The Atlantic, and many others have proven that this model can work—but it requires high-quality content, patience, and a long-term strategy that not every publisher has the resources to pursue.
Second, they are diversifying distribution channels. Email newsletters, podcasts, social media, and other direct platforms are becoming vital channels to reach audiences without relying on Google's algorithm. This is a crucial strategic shift: from "waiting for Google to send visitors" to "building direct relationships with readers."
Third, some publishers are blocking Google's AI bots. However, as research from NewzDash has shown, blocking Google-Extended does not remove publishers from AI Overviews. Google has clearly separated "AI training" from "displaying search results," and blocking training bots does not stop your content from appearing in AI summaries. This is a harsh reality many publishers have yet to realize.
Fourth, they are seeking legal intervention. Lawsuits against Google and other AI companies are underway in various parts of the world, alleging copyright infringement and the use of content without consent or fair compensation. However, legal measures often take years, and many publishers lack the resources to survive a protracted legal battle.
Lessons for Content Creators in Vietnam
You might be thinking: "This is a story about American journalism, what does it have to do with Vietnam?"
The answer is: a lot.
AI Overviews have been and are being rolled out in Vietnam. AI summary features are gradually appearing in Vietnamese search results, and this trend will only accelerate in the near future. What is happening to American publishers is an early warning for publishers, bloggers, and content businesses in Vietnam.
Here is what you need to do right now:
1. Measure Presence in AI Overviews, Not Just Rankings
If you are tracking SEO based solely on keyword rankings, you are missing half the story. Start tracking whether your content is cited in AI Overviews. This is a new metric, and it will become increasingly important over time.
2. Invest in "Unsummarizable" Content
AI can summarize basic information, but it cannot replace in-depth analysis, personal viewpoints, proprietary data, and real-world experience. Focus on types of content that readers need to click through to get full value from—not because they have to, but because they want to.
3. Build Direct Distribution Channels
Don't put all your eggs in Google's basket. Build email subscriber lists, social media communities, and channels you control. When search traffic drops, these channels will be your life raft.
4. Proactively Track Google's Changes
Google changes how search results are displayed almost monthly. Spend time tracking official announcements, reading independent studies, and experimenting to understand how AI Overviews are affecting your niche. Don't wait until everything changes to react.
When the Gateway is Replaced, People Must Find New Paths
I have witnessed the digital publishing industry go through quite a few revolutions over the past two decades. From the days when an article landing on the front page of Google News was enough to change your life, to the era of social media and influencers, and now to the age of generative AI. Each time, content creators have had to learn to adapt, and those who could not adapt were left behind.
But this time is different. This time, the very gateway to content is being replaced. It is not just algorithms changing rankings. It is how users access information changing from its roots. They no longer need to click to know what happened. They just need to read the summary, and if curious, they click.
This means that the threshold for a reader to decide to click on your article is higher than ever. You are no longer competing with industry peers. You are competing with the convenience of not needing to click. And to win that game, you must deliver a value that AI cannot replace: trust, depth, and the presence of a real human behind every single word.
As AI Overviews increasingly dominate search result pages, what adaptation strategy will you choose—continue optimizing to be cited by AI, or focus on building distribution channels that AI cannot control? And if you run a content site in Vietnam, what do you think is the core value that readers will always be willing to click through to get, even after AI has summarized the most basic information for them?
0 Comment
Add your comment to this article