AI search is quickly becoming the default option, whether users like it or not. In just one year, Google’s AI-generated search responses, known as AI Overviews, have gone from appearing in 15% of searches to 43%, according to a new report, driving a shift in the way web users consume information online.

In a recent analysis of the generative landscape, market intelligence firm Similarweb noted that what started as an AI layer on top of search has become an integral part of the search journey itself, as Google takes users to AI overviews, where they can then continue their research through Google’s more conversational AI Mode.

During the same period, AI mode visits increased from 126 million in June 2025 to 279 million in May 2026.

The data illustrates a broader shift in the way users search the web: a shift from an era in which Google provided a simple list of blue links to click and read to one in which Google itself is the destination, getting its answers and information from the websites it indexes.

This, in turn, appears to increase the time users spend on the Google platform rather than just using it as a website discovery tool. Over the past year, data from Similarweb shows that the average search duration on Google has increased, suggesting that people are now replacing their short keyword-based search queries with longer, more natural conversational queries designed for AI.

This change has not been well received by publishers, who are losing referral traffic due to the increase in AI citations that do not generate clicks. Last year, Similarweb reported on this trend, noting in particular how devastating it was for news publishers. More recently, technology infrastructure company Cloudflare introduced tools that allow publishers to fight back by blocking AI trackers from their websites, unless those AI companies pay for access to their content through their marketplace.

While AI quotes don’t always lead users to click on a destination, the number of AI responses that include a quote has increased more than fivefold over the past year, according to Similarweb’s new report.

Still, only 6.8% of US ChatGPT desktop queries included appointments in May 2026, despite this growth. (Some industries fare better: queries about travel, retail, and sports generate more frequently cited answers than others.)

However, there is some hope for publishers. At least in ChatGPT terms, US desktop referrals have improved after a May 7 search update, which saw the share of visits landing on web pages more than double, from 25% in March 2026 to almost 60% on May 30, 2026.

This suggests that users are taking advantage of the more prominent blue links within AI-based search results when they are available.

Even with these improvements, the broader trend of AI search remains unchanged, as Google transforms from a gateway to the web into a destination in its own right.