Google’s AI search changes upended online publishing

October 25, 2026 Emma Roth

This is The Stepback, a weekly newsletter breaking down one essential story from the tech world. For more about AI's impact on the web, follow Emma Roth. The Stepback arrives in our subscribers' inboxes on Sunday at 8AM ET. Opt in for The Stepback here.

How it started

The digital publishing industry has relied on Google for a very long time. Many outlets spent time and money optimizing their webpages to show up at the top of the search engine, with the goal of getting readers to click on their articles or discover their websites for the first time. For years, the relationship between Google and publishers was largely reciprocal; online pub …

Read the full story at The Verge.

No Previous Articles

Next Article
Blue Planet III is keeping the rough edges in the age of AI
Blue Planet III is keeping the rough edges in the age of AI

BBC's Blue Planet III is looking to prove its authenticity by leaving in the less-than-perfect shots. Previ...