A recent study by the Pew Research Centre suggested that people only clicked a link once in every 100 searches when there was an AI summary at the top of the page. Google argues the research methodology in that study was flawed.
Rosa Curling, director of the campaign group Foxglove, said she was concerned what the increased use of AI might mean for news organisations.
Although AI-generated summaries are often inaccurate, people weren’t clicking through to the original news items they were based on, she said, undermining the business models of news organisations.
“What the AI summary now does is makes sure that the readers’ eyes stay on the Google web page,” she said.
“And the advertising revenue of those news outlets is being massively impacted.”
Google said it already generates more than two billion AI Overview boxes every day in more than 40 languages, although not in the EU, where legislation precludes it.
There are also significant concerns about the environmental impact of increased AI use. Running AI requires huge data centres that use a lot of power and clean water.
Ms Budaraju said Google remained committed to sustainability.
“We are constantly, as Google and as Search, evolving sustainable ways to serve technology,” she said.