Google exec says AI search will expand the web, not erode it
A top Google Search executive is trying to cool the panic around AI search by arguing that the technology expands the web rather than threatens it.
At the Reuters NEXT conference in New York, Robby Stein, vice president of product for Google Search, rejected concerns that AI-generated answers will drain traffic from publishers.
“Google sends billions and billions and billions of clicks out every single day, and the outbound clicks are largely stable. So that’s actually not changing,” he said. Stein added that new search habits such as using phone cameras and asking longer, more complex questions are increasing overall activity. “We think over time that’s expansionary. The pie is growing very, very fast.”
Investors have worried that conversational AI could disrupt Google’s advertising business. Stein compared the shift to the transition from desktop to mobile, saying ads adapted then and will adapt again.
He added that ads inside an AI chat experience can be “incredibly helpful,” pointing to the example of a user dealing with a raccoon problem and receiving relevant product recommendations.
His comments follow reports that OpenAI has declared a “code red” to improve ChatGPT as competition with Google intensifies.
Alphabet has responded to early concerns about its search dominance with new model launches, experimental search features and viral tools such as the Nano Banana photo generator. Google shares have risen nearly 67% this year, supported by growth in its cloud division.
Stein also pushed back against publisher fears that AI summaries will decimate referrals. He described AI as a “powerful discovery engine” that links people to sources rather than replacing them.
Media groups remain sceptical. Several have cited research including a recent Pew study showing users are less likely to click on links after reading AI-generated summaries.
When asked whether a US antitrust ruling allowing Google to keep its Chrome browser had freed the company to innovate more aggressively, Stein said the case was not a significant factor.
“The model’s capability is the thing that’s driving the innovation and the excitement,” he said.
