Will AI search reduce Google traffic?

Probably somewhat, but not uniformly.

AI search is likely to reduce some Google traffic, especially for informational queries where users get a direct answer from an AI summary instead of clicking through to results. That can mean fewer clicks to external websites, and in some cases fewer searches that start with Google at all.

But the impact will vary:

• Informational searches: most likely to be reduced
• Commercial, local, and transactional searches: usually less affected, because users still need to compare options, visit sites, or complete a purchase
• Google itself: is also responding with AI Overviews and Gemini, which may help it retain a lot of usage even if click-through rates fall

So the short answer is: yes, AI search can reduce Google traffic, but the effect is likely to be uneven and strongest for informational search behavior. Exact numbers will depend on how quickly users adopt AI search tools and how Google’s own AI features change search habits.