Publisher sues Google over AI ‘theft’ of search traffic
US-listed educational online publisher Chegg is suing Google for stealing traffic with its AI answers.
In the US, Google displays an AI summary above regular search results containing a comprehensive answer to the preliminary search question. Organic results are no longer visible and therefore lose clicks.
Chegg announced earlier this week, at the release of its annual results, to sue Google in federal court claiming AI Overviews undermine the publisher’s earning power.
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In a prepared statement to investors at an earnings call CEO and president Chegg Nathan Schultz said complaint before the court is threefold.
“First, Google is forcing Chegg to provide our own content to be included in Google’s search function,” he said. “In addition, Google exercises its monopolistic power within search and pushes away companies like Chegg.
“Third, there is unjust enrichment, meaning Google is reaping the financial benefits of Chegg’s content without spending a dime.
“The impact on our business is clear. Traffic from non-subscribers dropped 49% in January 2025, significantly more than the modest 8% drop we reported in the second quarter 2024.”
AI overviews do not exist in Google’s European search results. A roundup by Emerce of several types of companies revealed that traffic from AI answer engines is growing but involves no more than 5% incoming traffic at websites.
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