Google search chief addresses AI transformation challenges

On October 10, 2025, Liz Reid sat down with The Wall Street Journal's Bold Names podcast to discuss one of the tech industry's most consequential shifts. Reid, who has spent more than two decades at Google and now serves as VP and head of Google Search, addressed mounting questions about how the company's artificial intelligence features are reshaping the internet's information ecosystem.

The interview comes at a critical juncture. Google faces simultaneous pressures from emerging competitors like ChatGPT and Perplexity while navigating regulatory scrutiny and publisher complaints about declining website traffic. Reid's comments provide insight into how the company views its position in what many observers consider the most significant transformation of search since Google's founding.

The mobile comparison

Reid characterized the current AI shift as "the most profound" in her career at Google, surpassing even the transition to mobile computing. The distinction, she explained, stems from how directly the technology connects to Search's core function. "For Search, it's an information product and this is a technology shift that is fundamentally changing about information," Reid said during the podcast.

The company has integrated AI into search operations for years. BERT, one of the original transformer language models, was incorporated into search results before ChatGPT existed. However, Reid acknowledged that only in recent years has the technology reached quality and latency levels suitable for prominent user-facing features.

Google's measured approach contrasts with the perception that the company scrambled to respond after OpenAI released ChatGPT in November 2022. "I think it's been an evolution in Search over the last several years, but it's exciting to be able to bring it more forefront to the user and unlock new capabilities that way," Reid stated.

AI Overviews and advertising dynamics

One of the most scrutinized aspects of Google's AI features concerns their impact on advertising revenue. Traffic analysis has documented substantial click-through rate decreases when AI summaries appear in search results. Reid addressed this concern directly, asserting that revenue with AI Overviews "has been relatively stable."

Her explanation centered on two offsetting factors. Some queries generate fewer ad clicks when AI Overviews provide immediate answers. Simultaneously, the feature encourages users to conduct more searches overall. "Those two things end up balancing out," Reid explained.

The mechanism depends on query type. Commercial queries where users need to purchase products still generate clicks despite AI-generated information. "If the ads are for shoes, you might get an answer on AI overviews, but you still have to buy the shoes," Reid noted. "None of the AIs substitute the need for the actual pair of shoes."

Most queries lack advertising presence entirely. Celebrity gossip searches typically show no ads before or after AI Overview implementation. Ads appear predominantly on commercial queries where users demonstrate purchase intent.

Reid described how lowering barriers to information access increases query volume. The Google Lens example illustrates this dynamic. Before visual search, users rarely attempted to identify flowers or handbags they encountered because text descriptions proved too difficult. Visual search enabled those queries, expanding overall search volume.

AI Overviews produce similar effects. Users ask questions they previously wouldn't have bothered pursuing because information wasn't consolidated on any single webpage. The increased query volume compensates for reduced clicks on individual searches.

Publisher concerns and traffic patterns

The conversation addressed persistent publisher concerns about traffic declines. Reid acknowledged the binary nature of ranking updates: "One of the things that's always true about Google Search is that you make changes and there are winners and losers. That's true on any ranking update."

However, she attributed much of the observed traffic shift to changing user preferences rather than AI features alone. Younger users increasingly favor short-form video, forums, user-generated content, and podcasts over traditional websites. "This is particularly true with younger users," Reid said.

The shift affects content categories beyond hard news. Lifestyle advice, cooking recipes, and similar content now comes primarily from YouTube, TikTok, and Reddit rather than traditional publishers. Google has adjusted its ranking algorithms to surface content types users actively seek. "We are in the business of both giving them high quality information but information that they seek out," Reid explained.

Industry research confirms these patterns. Google Discover now accounts for two-thirds of Google referrals to news and media websites according to August 2025 analysis. Traditional Google Search traffic dropped from approximately 16% to 10% of total referrals during the period when AI Overviews rolled out to more than 100 countries.

Reid distinguished between user behavior changes and AI Overview impacts. "You can say in an aggregate, an individual publisher could be affected by any number of different factors going on," she stated. Rankings shifts, competing publishers, and evolving user preferences all contribute to traffic patterns independent of AI features.

Trust and quality standards

The interview touched on early AI Overview errors that generated media attention. Reid framed these incidents within Google's responsibility to maintain user trust. "People really rely on us and we see sometimes that people will go to chatbots and they will come to us to check the answer," she said.

User needs vary across the spectrum from precise data to general understanding. Some users seek AI features for brainstorming rather than definitive answers. "If your goal is to get started, not to finish, even if you can't help them all the way, it's better to help them get started," Reid explained.

This philosophy justifies providing partial information rather than refusing queries where complete certainty doesn't exist. The approach differs from competitors who position their tools as answer engines requiring 100% accuracy thresholds.

Google holds users to different standards based on query importance. Financial and health-related searches demand higher precision than entertainment queries. Research tracking 70 users across eight search tasks found that searches with higher stakes drove deeper reading behavior, with health-related queries showing 52% average scroll depth compared to 30% median depth overall.

Competition and market position

The podcast hosts raised questions about Google's competitive position given testimony in antitrust proceedings. A federal judge noted that "The emergence of generative AI changed the course of the case." Eddie Cue from Apple testified about declining searches within Safari, contributing to perceptions that Google faces existential threats from AI chatbots.

Reid rejected the zero-sum framing. "I think there is more competition than ever before for sure. And also I think Search has a very bright future," she said. The expanding information ecosystem allows multiple platforms to grow simultaneously as users ask more questions overall.

She characterized the current period as "really an expansionary moment where the number of people who will ask questions, the amount of questions that people will ask overall everywhere is growing tremendously."

The company addresses competitive threats through both Search evolution and separate products. Google has Gemini as a dedicated chatbot while continuously enhancing Search with AI capabilities. "That's a different version of straddling, is to ensure that you both evolve your mainstay and you disrupt yourself from within," Reid explained.

Historical precedent supports Google's confidence. The mobile transition raised similar concerns about whether desktop-focused companies could adapt. "People ask similar questions when the time of mobile came," Reid noted. That transition proved beneficial rather than destructive.

Content ecosystem health

Reid emphasized Google's unique stake in web health. "From the Search side, we really care about the health of the web more than anybody else. It is essential not simply for AI overviews, but for the product," she stated.

The company has implemented several features to support publishers and creators. Inline links within AI Overviews highlight sources with "according to" attributions. These prominent links build brand awareness while providing click-through opportunities.

Recent initiatives include personalization features allowing users to designate trusted sources. Top Stories and Discover now enable subscribers to prioritize content from specific publishers. "So that we can strengthen the connection between sites and creators and the audiences they like," Reid explained.

The dead internet theory came up during the conversation. This concept suggests most web content already consists of AI-generated material. Reid distinguished between AI-generated spam and legitimate AI-assisted content. "AI-generated content doesn't necessarily equal spam," she said.

Google maintains anti-spam measures while evaluating content quality. Images created with AI tools for home decor inspiration differ from low-value content that merely restates existing information. "What we see is people want content from that human perspective. They want that sense of what's the unique thing you bring to it," Reid stated.

AI Overviews appear to filter for quality by generating fewer "bounce clicks" where users immediately return to search results. The system surfaces deeper, richer content that provides genuine value beyond the initial AI summary.

User behavior and content depth

Reid challenged assumptions about declining content depth in the AI era. Four-hour podcasts now thrive despite not existing at comparable scale five years ago. Users demonstrate willingness to engage deeply with topics that interest them, even as they seek quick answers for routine questions.

AI enables better matching between users and niche content. Early web communities on platforms like GeoCities connected people with specific interests. As the web expanded, search queries became generic, surfacing the most popular results rather than specialized matches.

More sophisticated query understanding now allows users to express detailed preferences. "If you now can say instead of like, I want a dress for the wedding, I want a dress for the wedding that is made by a merchant with the following values and is also red and is short," Reid explained. This capability connects users with niche merchants and creators who would remain invisible to keyword searches.

The diversity of human preferences means improved search technology can connect people more effectively. "What you really care about is probably different than what Tim cares about for the same topic," Reid said, referring to co-host Tim Higgins.

Reid drew parallels to earlier technological transitions. The internet itself raised concerns about lost skills compared to library research. "Some version of your question could be asked about the internet instead of books," she told Higgins when he asked about declining research skills.

The argument suggests technology changes which skills people practice rather than eliminating learning entirely. Topics that provide joy and passion remain areas where people invest time and effort, even as quick answers suffice for routine information needs.

Competitive landscape evolution

The interview acknowledged that OpenAI and other startups envision a future where chat interfaces replace traditional search. Reid sees a hybrid model where conversational interactions coexist with web exploration. "Some of these will paint this picture that your future information is only just talk to a model," she said.

Users aren't ready to delegate all decisions to AI. Fashion advice, editorial perspectives, and content from trusted voices remain valuable precisely because humans created them. "They're not ready to delegate all their fashion advice. All of the things they would previously go to influencers or trusted editorial just to a model," Reid explained.

The "stateful" nature of conversation—where systems remember previous interactions—represents one powerful dimension of AI search. However, connecting users with diverse human perspectives remains essential. Google positions AI as enhancing search rather than replacing the web.

Market dynamics reflect intensifying competition. ChatGPT processes over 1 billion weekly searches while demonstrating superior conversion rates. Analysis suggests conversational search platforms could challenge Google's dominance by 2030 if current growth trajectories continue.

Reid's responses avoided directly addressing existential threats. Instead, she emphasized growing information needs that benefit multiple platforms simultaneously. The strategy depends on execution quality and user trust rather than market position alone.

Advertising integration across AI features

Beyond AI Overviews, Google has begun integrating advertisements into AI Mode, its experimental conversational search interface. Reid revealed in a June 2025 interview that queries in AI Mode run "2x to 3x longer than they do on main search."

Longer queries provide enhanced intent signals for advertising targeting. The company shows ads "when they're high quality and relevant" rather than displaying promotional content indiscriminately. This measured approach aims to maintain user experience while developing revenue streams from AI features.

The advertising strategy builds on testing protocols established through AI Overview deployments. Google positions itself carefully between aggressive monetization and user satisfaction, recognizing that trust represents its most valuable asset.

Timeline

• November 2022: ChatGPT launches, initiating new competitive dynamics in information retrieval
• May 2024: Google publicly launches AI Overviews in the United States
• October 2024: AI Overviews expand to over 100 countries, coinciding with inflection point in publisher traffic patterns
• March 2025: Google announces Gemini 2.0 integration and introduces experimental AI Mode
• May 2025: Federal judge notes generative AI "changed the course" of Google antitrust case
• June 2025: Martin Splitt addresses "Great Decoupling" phenomenon at Warsaw event
• July 2025: Alphabet reports AI Overviews driving 10% additional queries in Q2 earnings
• August 2025: Google announces traffic stability and quality improvements from AI features
• October 7, 2025: AI Mode expands to over 40 countries and territories
• October 10, 2025: Liz Reid discusses Google's AI search strategy on Wall Street Journal's Bold Names podcast

Summary

Who: Liz Reid, VP and head of Google Search with more than 20 years at the company, discussed AI search strategy with Wall Street Journal hosts Tim Higgins and Christopher Mims.

What: Reid addressed how AI Overviews impact advertising revenue, publisher traffic, content quality, and competitive positioning while defending Google's approach to integrating artificial intelligence into search results.

When: The interview was recorded and published on October 10, 2025, as Google continues global expansion of AI search features amid mounting pressure from competitors and publishers.

Where: The conversation took place on the Bold Names podcast and covers developments affecting Google Search globally, with particular focus on United States market dynamics and international rollout patterns.

Why: Google faces simultaneous challenges from ChatGPT and other AI competitors while navigating publisher concerns about traffic declines, regulatory scrutiny from antitrust proceedings, and the need to maintain advertising revenue during a fundamental transformation of search technology.