Generative AI is reshaping how people approach information online. For decades, search meant typing keywords into Google and sifting through a list of links. That model is breaking down.
Today, millions of users ask full, conversational questions in tools like ChatGPT, Perplexity, or Gemini and receive direct, synthesized answers often without ever clicking on a website.
The numbers tell the story:
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Globally, zero-click searches have risen to nearly 70%, driven by AI summaries at the top of results pages.
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Only 1% of users click through from Google’s AI Overviews to original sources.
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Average AI queries are six times longer than traditional search, showing a shift toward context-rich, natural language questions.
This evolution signals a deeper behavioural change: people are no longer browsing the web in the same way. Discovery increasingly begins and ends within AI systems.
The platforms themselves are reshaping the flow of traffic on the internet. ChatGPT, for example, now handles billions of visits each month and dominates the AI search market alongside Google’s Gemini. Together, they account for nearly four-fifths of all AI-driven queries. Users aren’t treating these tools like search engines, either. The average AI query runs 23 words long—six times more than a standard Google search—and sessions last three times longer. People are having conversations with machines instead of skimming results.
Implications for Publishers
For the media, this shift is both an opportunity and a risk. On one hand, GenAI can funnel new audiences toward outlets whose content is cited and linked within answers. On the other hand, publishers risk invisibility if their stories aren’t surfaced in these AI-driven environments.
Some businesses have already felt the downside.
The broader trend is now visible even in specialized niches. Outset PR, a crypto-native PR data-driven PR has presented a Q2 2025 report on Eastern European crypto outlets performance. It revealed that more than 20% of 114 crypto-native media sites received measurable traffic from GenAI platforms.
While the share of total visits was small, the signal is clear: AI is becoming a discovery channel in its own right. And it is one that audiences—especially in tech-savvy, fast-moving spaces like crypto—are already adopting.
Crypto vs. Generalist Media: Different Degrees of Impact
The Ouset PR report also draws an important contrast between specialist crypto outlets and generalist media (those with dedicated crypto sections but a wider editorial scope).
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Crypto-native media: 20.6% of outlets received AI-driven traffic.
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Generalist outlets: 41.8% registered GenAI referrals, translating into 566,596 visits.
Source: Outset PR
Interestingly, although generalists captured more total visits, the relative share of AI-driven discovery was higher in specialist publications. This suggests GenAI tools are more likely to surface niche, domain-specific reporting—reinforcing their role as filters for expertise.
Adapting to the New Reality
For journalists, editors, and media strategists, the lesson is straightforward: if your content is hard for AI to parse, you risk being left out of tomorrow’s discovery flows. The new frontier is Generative Engine Optimization (GEO)—making stories compelling to large language models, not just humans or search algorithms. That means:
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Writing in clear, structured formats that LLMs can interpret.
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Providing concise takeaways and well-tagged metadata.
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Maintaining trust and authority, since AI systems increasingly privilege reliable sources.
Generative AI is changing not just the mechanics of search but the very habits of readers. And as the Outset PR report shows, this change is not abstract—it’s already measurable. Media organizations that adapt their storytelling today will be far better positioned in the AI-driven information economy of tomorrow.
Disclaimer: This article is provided for informational purposes only. It is not offered or intended to be used as legal, tax, investment, financial, or other advice.
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