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Google's AI updates have landed in Australia, with agency leaders warning the shift could reshape the future of publishers.
Unveiled at Google Marketing Live in Sydney on 17 June, the rollout includes AI Max, AI Agents, AI-assisted creative production, the Universal Commerce Protocol (UCP) and the trialling of agentic AI systems.
Luke Gosha, head of search at Edge Marketing, said publishers had already begun responding to the impact.
“I've seen firsthand the impact from a traffic and advertising revenue perspective,” he said.
“Publishers have responded by entering into direct agreements with AI companies or by blocking AI crawlers from training their LLMs on their content.”
He said the shift was forcing publishers to rethink the quality of their content entirely.
“They no longer want "commodity" content and have spoken about how publishers should be creating "non-commodity" content, which is research-backed, first-hand insights that can't be easily replicated. Truly unique and valuable content,” said Gosha
“Content standards need to increase. The bar is higher as to what is defined as quality/non-commodity, and the publishers who understand this and adopt this will thrive.
“It means creating great content that can't be easily replicated by others, and to do that, it will require first-hand experience, data, insights, and value to readers and users,” he said.
Clare Farrugia, head of performance at Hatched, said Google's push into AI search was driven by revenue.
“Recent Q1 Earnings show Google's Search and Other revenue growing 19% YoY, with the CEO citing AI search innovations as the driving force,” said Farrugia
“This is also a push to solidify their place as search engine of choice across the category - combatting the rise of dedicated LLM/AI search engines. For digital publishers, this signifies another blow to their acquisition models,” said Farrugia.
Samantha Coates, SEO director at Hatched, said Google's AI search was a double edged sword.
“AI Mode, AI Overviews, Lens and Voice search all give advertisers and publishers more information about what customers want and help connect highly qualified users with the most helpful content,” said Coates.
“As tools like AI Overviews and AI Mode answer questions directly on the results page, fewer users click through to publisher sites.”
She said publishers in content-heavy categories would face the sharpest pressure.
“Publishers in high-information categories like finance, health and travel are also under real pressure, as those are exactly the categories where AI Overviews give direct answers and cut out the click,” said Coates
“On the flip side, brands building authority through trusted third-party signals, editorial coverage, expert content and strong Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness (E-E-A-T) are well-positioned,” said Coates
Danica Bellchambers, chief data and tech officer at Dentsu, said the Google updates represented a fundamental realignment for the adland ecosystem.
“For publishers, advertisers and the broader digital ecosystem, it’s a fundamental realignment. AI-generated experiences compress referral traffic and undermine traditional ad-supported and affiliate models because users no longer need to leave the platform to complete the journey,” said Bellchambers.
“Publishers risk losing their role in the decision-making process itself as AI increasingly becomes the interface through which choices are made.
“At dentsu, we have observed increased impact on direct and organise traffic over the last 6 months as Google has increased the presence of AI Overviews, and are working with clients to measure their 'AI visibility' to better understand how their brands are showing up and consumer sentiment in AI discovery,” she said.
“For Dentsu, it means our data and technology teams become increasingly central to client growth, helping clients build AI-ready data foundations, interoperable platforms and the capability to operate effectively within AI-mediated ecosystem.”
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