Problem
Research questions and friction points this paper is trying to address.
generative AI
web search
publisher traffic
user experience
AI in Search Reduces Publisher Referrals Without Improving User Experience: Experimental Evidence
🤖 AI Summary
研究通过实验评估了AI在搜索中对用户行为和出版商流量的影响，发现AI虽改变信息导航方式但降低了出版商点击率且未改善用户体验。
📝 Abstract
The integration of generative AI into web search delivers synthesized answers to user queries, changing how people navigate and assess information, while raising concerns about the downstream impacts on publishers who supply the underlying content. We conduct a preregistered field experiment (N=1,100) on Google Search, the dominant online search platform, to estimate the causal effects of AI Overviews and AI Mode on user behavior, perceptions, and publisher traffic. We show that removing AI Overviews and AI Mode increases click-through rates to publishers, while an AI Mode-only experience reduces click-through rates and erodes user experience and trust in information found on Google. These findings show that integrating generative AI into web search reshapes online attention, with economic consequences for the online publishers that sustain both search platforms and the overall information ecosystem.
Innovation
Methods, ideas, or system contributions that make the work stand out.
generative AI
web search
user experience
publisher traffic
click-through rates
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