Reddit CEO Steve Huffman said Google's AI Overviews have yet to deliver the same value to the web ecosystem as traditional search results, commenting during the company's second-quarter earnings call amid growing concerns over AI-driven search traffic.
Speaking after Reddit reported quarterly results, Huffman contrasted Google's traditional search model with its AI-powered search experience. "The 10 blue links have driven a tremendous amount of value for the whole ecosystem," he said. "AI Overviews has yet to make a similar level of positive impact."
He added that the trend appeared to extend beyond Reddit, saying the impact "seems consistent across the broader landscape."
His comments came as Reddit reported a 61% year-on-year increase in revenue, exceeding analyst expectations. Despite the strong results, the company's shares fell more than 20% after the earnings announcement. Huffman also said traffic referrals from Google had become "choppy," making future search-driven traffic more difficult to predict.
Google's AI Overviews generate summaries directly on search results pages, allowing users to obtain information without necessarily visiting external websites. Publishers have increasingly raised concerns that the feature could reduce referral traffic by encouraging more "zero-click" searches.
A recent Pew Research Center study found that AI Overviews significantly reduced click-through rates to publisher websites compared with conventional search results. Google disputed the findings, arguing that the study was based on a limited sample and said its own data indicates overall organic traffic to websites has remained broadly stable.
Separately, reports suggest Reddit is reviewing its estimated $60 million annual content licensing agreement with Google, under which Google uses Reddit content for AI training and search products.
Huffman's comments reflect growing tensions between AI-powered search platforms and publishers concerned about declining referral traffic. As AI-generated summaries become more common, companies like Reddit are increasingly positioning human-generated discussions as a key differentiator.
